Desperate
by xxREADER UNKNOWNxx
Summary: Yes... i know its a girl at CGL one, but plz give it a chance and R&R. Alex Barlow, K-K-B's great granddaughter is ironically sent to camp green lake. Will she find friends? Will she find Love? will she find herself? dun dun dun! suspenseful i hope
1. Havin' fun and makin' friends

**okay okay so i know theres a lot of these girls at CGL things, but please R&R anyway!  
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**I DONT OWN HOLES (duh) or the dig it song or spongebob (sadly) and the only thing i own in this is Alex.**

**oh, and you'll notice that i added some similarities to Alex's thoughts and Stanley's thoughts. That was just for kicks. **

**_enjoy!_**

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I'd hoped for a feeling of triumph as I looked down at the motionless body before me. But all I got was fear. I'd never done something this bad to someone before. The fear was joined with anticipation for the sound of the blaring siren. It wasn't unusual. I'd heard it many times before in my life, and I'd learned how to deal.

But not today. Today I'd done something way worse than my past crimes. Secretly, I hoped he wasn't dead. I bit my lip and studied him hard.

Despite my cruel nature, I felt anguish at the thought of a person dying. "Are you okay?" I asked nervously. I really didn't want 'murder' on my criminal record, bad as my record was.

The guy, who was about thirty, strained his neck to look up at me. "Do I look okay?" he rasped.

"Not really. But what am I supposed to do when you try to report me to the police? Go quietly?" I hissed.

He sighed and lied his head back down on the sidewalk. I stood up, the feeling of triumph of my action started to overpower the fear, and I began running.

That was what my life was. Running. I'd been running from the cops ever since I was nine and ran away. I guess if I was a therapist, I would say my abusive behavior was because of her, and I should be sent to therapy to be helped instead of jail to be punished.

But I wasn't a therapist, and I was still running. I heard the familiar wail of a siren behind me, and I almost smiled. This was so familiar. It was almost comforting.

But the comfort vanished as a black and white car with a hated, colorful spinning light pulled up beside me. I growled and halted. I couldn't run anymore.

The police jumped out, and before I knew it, I was on the ground, questions being squeezed out of me like I was a fresh orange, full of sweet juice.

I was pushed into the back of the car and slammed into the seat. Then, the cops got in and we began driving.

"We've been trying to catch you, Alexis Barlow," said a female voice from somewhere up front, out of sight. She had a hint of smirk in her voice. I growled again, my pride more bruised than my body.

In the courtroom five days later, the judge looked at me with disgust. I had no one standing with me except the police man, who had a firm grip on my arm. They couldn't locate my mother, and my father told them to do what they wanted with me. He didn't care.

After a glance at my file, the judge didn't even bother to consider if I was innocent. He knew I was guilty on all I counts. So did i. I didn't bother to fight it. I pleased guilty, hanging my head in defeat.

He murmured something to the police man, and he looked at the judge with a socked expression. I thought I heard him whisper something about being all boys, but I wasn't sure. The judge said, a little more loudly so I could hear. "With this record, she deserves dealing with it." I had no clue what he was talking about.

And so the Judge said to me "You have a choice. Camp Green Lake or jail?"

Even at the promise of the mention of a camp, I wasn't stupid. I knew it wasn't like... some sort of Camp Fun and Games. It would probably be hard. Maybe even cruel. But anything was better than jail.

Oh how wrong I was. I had no idea of what I was getting into as I uttered those three words.

"Camp green lake"

The bus ride wasn't too bad. I'd been through worse. The guard kept looking at me with both shock and disgust, and I did the same to him. He held a rifle, but I wasn't scared. As long as I didn't try anything, I'd be safe. I hummed and tugged at the handcuffs that wrapped around my hands tightly for most of the long, boring bus ride. It felt I was sitting here forever. I could feel sweat forming where the hot metal was. I scratched at it several times before boldly asking the guard "When will we get there?"

Surprisingly, he answered without anger or any other signs of hostility or annoyance, as I would have expected. "We're almost there,"

"How long has it been?"

He glanced at his watch "nine hours,"

I widened my eyes and dropped the conversation. The ride seemed to pass a lot slower then time was going by. Probably because I was so unsure of what was going to happen to me.

I longed to reach into my bag and pull out my book and continue writing in it, but I couldn't reach. This was just as well, since, according to the guard, I was almost there.

And it was true. Only five minutes passed since my exchange with the guard and the buss stopped. I jerked forward in my seat at the sudden halt and looked out my window for the first time. I saw nothing, just dry dessert. And holes. Whoa, a _lot_ of holes, as far as the eye can see. And not just small ones. Big ones, ones that looked like I could lie flat in them, and stand in them without my head poking up. So not like Austin. No more busy streets, no more sky scrapers or any other buildings. The huge contrast in scenery left me speechless.

"We're here," said the guard.

"No duh," I rolled my eyes as he unlocked my handcuffs and pushed me out the door. I scowled as trotted down the steps, and then gasped as I stepped out. The heat was unbearable. I almost chocked as my throat got inerasably dryer and coated in sandpaper. I thought _inside_ the bus was bad.

"Hey baby!"

I was shocked at the voice. Was there really intelligent life here, in this remote wasteland? I turned around and saw three boys in hideous orange jumpsuits standing, each gripping a shovel and covered in red dirt. Okay, so maybe _not _intelligent.

I gave them the finger as the guard led me into an old, run down building where a middle aged man in a cowboy hat and sunglasses sat, chewing on something. I made a face as the guard plopped me down. The man looked up at me and chocked on whatever he was chewing. He hacked a couple of times before spitting it out.

"What? Haven't you seen a girl before? Or you that much of a despite, dateless bachelor?" I muttered as the man regained his posture. His lip twitched, and I noticed he had a thin moustache on it.

"Why are you here?" he picked up a paper and glanced at it. I saw his mouth drop open and he looked up at me. "You Alex Barlow?" he whispered my last name.

"Uh, yeah..." this guy seemed one donut short of a dozen.

"Humph," he muttered, spitting out his mouths contents on the floor. I saw it was a sunflower seed. "Well, it's strange you're here,"

"And why is that?" I mused.

"Because this is an all boy's detention camp,"

This time, it was my turn to choke. "What?!" I almost screamed as the guard leaned over as the cowboy man shoved some papers at him. He signed it then went back to being invisible while I hyperventilated. "Why? Why must it be _all_ boys? Surely there are girls!"

"Girl," Said Cowboy man. "But let's get down to business. My name is Mr. Sir. When ever you speak to me, you will call me by my name, is that clear?"

I cocked an eyebrow, temporarily distracted. "Uh, sure Mr. Sir..." I said hesitantly. He laughed at my reaction, and not the friendly 'oh you get used to the differences here' laugh but the 'wow you're in for a nightmare and I enjoy every minute of it' kind of laugh. I shuddered.

"This isn't the Girl Scouts anymore," he laughed again.

He led me to a room filled with the same hideous jumpsuits that I saw before on the boys outside. I saw a large, ugly guy with long, jelled hair look up and licked his lips at my approach. He whistled and hooted until Mr. Sir threw a boot at him to shut him up, and then turned to me to explain camp rules.

Unfortunately, I had to wear a hideous orange jumpsuit also, which smelled repulsively like cheap soap. I cringed as I changed in a small white room and looked at myself in the dusty reflection of the mirror.

"You are to dig one hole each day, including Saturdays and Sundays," Mr. Sir explained as I stepped out of the room, "Each hole must be five feet deep and five feet across in every direction. Your shovel is your measuring stick," I noticed through out his little speech he kept looking at me in disbelief. I didn't blame him. I probably was the only female he'd seen since forever.

He handed me a plastic canteen and another set of clothes. I was sad when I realized the canteen was empty. "Breakfast is served at 4:30," he said. I also noticed everything he said seemed to be rehearsed, and he sounded like a worn out tape recorder, or perhaps a drive-through person at McDonald's, repeating the same crap day after day. He handed me a hat which matched with the jumpsuit. It had a dirt-stained cloth sewn to the back, I assumed to avoid sun burns.

I looked up at him. "AM or PM," I asked wearily.

He chuckled. "AM. We wake up that early to avoid the hottest part of the day," he explained. It made sense to me, but I wasn't looking forward to it.

"There's no guard towers here," Mr. Sir continued. "We don't need them. We have the only water for a hundred or so miles, and if you wanna run away, fine with me. You be dead before the sunsets on the end of the third day,"

He was trying to scare me. I could tell.

"Either you'll dry out in the sun, or you'll get bitten by a Yellow Spotted Lizard. Once one of them bites you, you die a slow and painful death," he sounded gravely at the end of his little fact.

Okay, that scared me a little.

I saw a man with a beard come running up to us, who was younger than Mr. Sir and had a rather animated smile on his face. I was glad to not be alone with Mr. Scary Lizard Man anymore. The new man looked down at me, and then gasped. He looked back up at Mr. Sir. "It's...a girl..." he said breathlessly.

"Gee, what tipped you off?" I rolled my eyes. The man looked down at me, straightened himself out, and held out a hand. "I'm Mr. Pendanski, and I just want to let you know...er..." he was thinking of my name.

"Alex," I informed him.

"Huh, always thought of that as a boy's name, but anyway, I'm just letting you know, Alex, that you may have done a bad thing but that doesn't make you a bad person," he tried to look sympathetic, but I could tell this was rehearsed, just like Mr. Sir's speech.

"Plural" I corrected him.

"What?" he asked.

"Bad_ things_," I said, "Not thing. I have a record, you know," I smirked.

Mr. Pendanski looked shocked, and then stuttered along. "Er, let me take you to meet the boys... You be In D tent. D stands for diligence" He led me past some ratty old tents to one that read D in black paint.

Inside smelled like puke.

I looked at the stunned faces before me as Mr. Pendanski introduced me. "This is Ricky," he pointed to a tall, frizzy haired white boy that stared at me with unblinking, intimidating eyes. "Alan, Rex," he pointed to two boys playing some sort of dice game on a cot, one was white and had a tooth pick poking out between his gaping jaw and one was a skinny African-American and had thick rimmed glassed that were covered in red-brown dirt.. _How can he see? _I wondered a Mr. Pendanski continued. "Jose," he gestured toward a Hispanic boy sitting on another cot in the corner. "Stanley, Theodore and Zero," the last three were standing in the center of the room, one a dark haired white boy with a cap on his curly-haired head, one a burly African American with squinted eyes, his cap gripped tightly his hand. The last one, an African American boy, didn't look surprised at all, and was so small I wasn't sure if he was even my age. He seemed like he was ten rather than sixteen. Or maybe he _was_ ten. I widened my eyes. What kind of messed up ten year old has a crime spree? Oh right. Me! "This is Alex," he gestured toward me.

The one called Rex was the first to recover his apparent shock. "Man, my names not Rex, Mom. It's X-Ray. Then he introduced the other boy's 'names'. Ricky was Zigzag, Alan was Squid, Jose was Magnet, Theodore was Armpit, Stanley was Caveman, and Zero was still Zero. I found that odd, but I didn't think much of it. Mr. Pendanski was Mom, for God knows what reasons.

Mr. Pendanski sighed. "They all have there little nick names, but I prefer to use names society will recognize them by. And don't go around..." he swallowed hard. "Messing with her..." he sounded embarrassed. He turned and left. "I expect you to treat her... right," he called over his shoulder.

_Prude. _I thought.

The boy called X-Ray rolled his eyes and smiled wryly at me. "Any why is a lady such as yourself hanging with us dawgs, Alex?" he said my name in a wannabe-seductive voice.

I looked at him angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?" I could take this punk, no sweat. _Bring it on, chicken legs._

"It means this is a boy's camp," stepped in the one called Zigzag, glaring at me with a force I could barely stand. "And a girl shouldn't be where she's over her head,"

Infuriated, I leapt at him, but something held be back, I turned to se the one called Armpit holding the collar of my shirt, a pity look on his face.

"What? You think I can't take him?" I challenged.

He laughed grimly. "Probably not,"

I wasn't sure what to say. If only they knew...

"So... what are you in for, Alex?" the Hispanic called magnet asked.

I burst out laughing. The other boys looked at me, a little concerned, a little nervous. I didn't know how to reply, so I just said "What I got _caught_ doing or what I did all together?"

I hoped that vague, dangerous remark would shut him up, but he continued, a look of anxiousness took over his features. "Er... what you got caught for,"

I chuckled darkly. "Assault," I said. "I beat a guy up for reporting theft to the cops,"

They looked at me, not sure whether to believe me or not. I smiled. "It's true."

The boy named Caveman spoke for the first time. "What else did you do?" he sounded worried.

"Er, not much, I mean... I've stolen a lot of things, and I'm mastered the art of black mailing." A couple boys laughed. "But I guess I'm not _too_ dangerous." I shrugged as if shooting the breeze about my crime sprees to seven male juvenile delinquents was what I did everyday.

"Wait a second," I said, looking around. "I heard there was only supposed to be seven in a tent. Why am I the eighth?"

Squid gestured toward a cot, which I realized was smaller than all the others. "Er... Ziggy lost it for a second and ripped his cot, and we had to get him a new one. It was smaller, so I guess we had room for one more." I looked at him. I never realized how hot he was.

I saw Zigzag flinch out of the corner of my eye. I assumed he was the crazy one.

"So," The one named Armpit looked at Squid, continuing a conversation they must have been having before I got here. "You say she did what to you?"

I furrowed my brow. _'She'?_

Squid looked disgusted. "The Queen Bee took my shower tokens because I was 'not treating her with respect'. It's so retarded how she has to own everything. Even shade..."

I wanted to ask, but I was to new to say anything.

"Which bed is mine?" I piped up when I saw the small talk was over.

X-Ray pointed to one in the corner, where Magnet was. "It gets pretty cold at night, so just holler of you need warmth" He winked.

This let to shouts and complaints, either about how he couldn't have me all to himself, or how they should treat me with respect. The respect ones came from mainly Squid and Caveman. I smiled sweetly at X-Ray, whose eyes lit up. I stepped over to him. The others boys gasped and I leaned in.

Then punched him right in the jaw.

The other guys stared in shock as he rubbed it with his hand. He looked up at me, and hip lips formed a smile.

"Welcome to Camp Green Lake, Alex," he grinned, and I could tell he was planning.

I groaned. He probably was still going to be a perverted freak, but I hoped my punch would keep him from going over the line. It worked on other boys before.

But these boys weren't like other boys. And that's what I feared the most.

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**Kay chapter two is coming right around the corner.**

**and i kno its going to be a love story, im just not sure who gets to be the lucky fella. Please tell me ur ideas!**

**And you'll notice later that she has a similar life style to Squid. I put that so they have something to talk about besides the weather. lol. **


	2. Respect costs you shower tokens

**Ah-kay heres din din for Alex and her shower o.O**

**Squidly is so cuddly in the chapter, and i feel bad for poor, sick Ziggy. I just wanna hug him!**

**Ok better not spoil it..read and ENJOY!**

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When dinner rolled around, I followed the boys to a larger building which they called mess hall. I was _so_ not looking forward to the reactions I'd get when all the others saw me. But I was pretty sure everyone knew my presence by now. It's not every day you get a girl in a boy's detention camp.

So as I stepped inside the mess hall, I did my best to ignore the cat calls, hoots and hollers. I sighed and got in line for my food. Seriously, how long has it been since these guys actually saw a girl?

A bored cook put something on my plate. I looked at it with disgust before joining my tent mates at the table they gathered at.

"Do you guys really eat this stuff?' I asked, shoving what I assumed was meat around on my plate. "It looks like it's from a can!"

Everyone in D-tent laughed.

"I'm serious!" I picked it up with my thumb and fore finger and made a face.

I felt something slap my butt. I turned around to see something that resembled a primate grin idiotically at me.

"Hey. You feeling cozy around us boys yet?" He smirked. I looked up at him, then down at the remote resemblance of food on my plate. The D-tenters watched my every move. An idea hatched into my brain.

"Why... yes," I discreetly grabbed my meat with my fork, turned around and flung it in his face. He calmly wiped it off to the floor. Damn. I hoped he'd scream. I guess he was too used to the food.

By now, everyone in the mess hall was watching us.

Squid burst out laughing, followed by X-Ray, Magnet and Armpit. "That's how ya do it!" I heard someone shout from across the room. I heard Zigzag mutter something and I took it as a compliment, seeing the smile on his face. First time I ever saw him smile since I got here.

"You're a freak, but I like freaks," said Monkey Boy, winking and walking off. I sighed and looked at my table mates.

"Maybe because you _are_ a freak," I muttered, even though I knew Monkey Boy couldn't hear me.

They all chuckled and began chattering among themselves. I glanced at Caveman, who was smiling at me. I smiled back. "At least I got a use for the food here," I shrugged. He laughed and continued nibbling on a piece of stale looking bread. _I wonder why he's here. He doesn't seem like the bad-boy type..._

I sighed. I was starting to feel homey around this particular group of boys, even though I'd only been here an hour, and some still treated me crap. I especially liked Caveman and Squid, who treated me like a human rather than an interest of the opposite sex. I liked that. It made me feel welcome.

"So," X-Ray began. "I've never given a name to a girl before,"

"Wow, that's a huge shocker," I teased. Magnet snickered.

X-Ray just shook his head. "Just wait 'till you start diggin'" he muttered. I smirked.

"Oh, I've done _so_ much worse than dig a hole," I said, slightly bragging.

Squid laughed grimly. "Yeah, have you dug all day in the heat, deprived of water?"

"First hole's the hardest" Muttered Caveman as he bit into some type of once green vegetable. One of the boys sighed. I couldn't tell which one.

"So, I guess you haven't seen a girl in a long time," I tried to sound casual, but it was still really awkward.

They all looked up at me.

"Well..." Began Squid.

"Er, that's not entirely true..." Armpit added.

I was confused. Was there another female here? If so, why was everyone still paying so much attention to me? I furrowed my brow. Caveman rolled his eyes and began to explain, much to my gratitude.

"You see, the Warden is—"

Suddenly, I heard a loud voice, overpowering all the other voices in the room. "Where is she?" it sounded female. I gulped. Was this who they were talking about? I heard several boys say "over there". I turned around and saw a red headed woman wearing—shocker—a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and she had red freckles to mach her hair. She was the epitome of cowgirl.

"Where is Alex?" she practically screamed.

"Wow," whispered Zigzag, the first time I've heard him speak for a while, "I've never heard her yell like that,"

The others shook their heads. I hear the _click click click_ of the cowgirl's boots as she got closer to me. Her voice was soft as she spoke. "Are you Alex...Alex... Barlow?" she chocked out.

"Uh, yeah... I am." As soon as those words escaped my mouth, I was yanked from my seat and drug outside.

"Do you know who you're related too?" she cried.

I shook my head. She seemed like she was in hysterics. I was sort of dazed myself. There was another female here. I was elated.

The cowgirl looked into my eyes, like she was going to kiss me. Instead she stuttered "Kissin' Kate Barlow," her voice trembled. I guessed sanity here was about as rare as water. "This so ironic. The great granddaughter of Kate is here digging for—you even have a criminal record like her! You even _look_ like her! Your dark, dusty colored hair, heart shaped face... pale blue eyes. God it's so nice to have female company, but I never expected... Kate Barlow. Kate Barlow!"

Okay, this chick had lost it.

"Er... I don't even know you," I informed her slowly.

"Excuse me? Oh right, right, Of course." She straightened. "Forgive me. I'm Luanne Walker, but you can just call me Lou. Everyone else just calls me The Warden,"

Ah, so this was all mighty highness I heard Armpit and Squid talking about during the chat in the tent. She didn't seem to have much to make her feared. She seemed nice. Crazy, but nice. I nodded to show I heard, but I was confused about this whole Kissin' Karen or whoever she was.

"Uh, who's Kissin'...?"

"Kate? Oh haven't you heard of her? You're related to her, for God's sake! She was the most feared outlaws back then. It is said that she has a...well never mind. I guess you picked up her genes, since you seem to be on a criminal spree" she chuckled. For some reason I was oddly proud. I was related to a famous outlaw! Or so she said... I still wasn't sure if her facts we're all in a line.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that if you need anything, you just tell me, you hear?" She smiled. Something wasn't right about this conversation, but I nodded anyway, darting my eyes from side to side nervously.

"Can I go now?" I asked, hesitant.

"Sure!" The Warden practically shoved me back inside. I hurried back to my table, shooting glances back at her in case she was trying to stalk me or something.

"Dude, it looked like you put a curse on her, the way she was ranting and hysterical like that!" Laughed Squid.

"You saw?" I asked.

"Uh huh. Practically the whole camp was watching," Magnet nodded.

Caveman looked at me with wide eyes. "Your great grandma robbed my great grandfather," he told me.

I looked at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He was robbed by Kissin' Kate and left stranded out here."

I cringed. I kinda felt bad for him now. But it also gave me a feeling of... authority. I sat up straighter.

The other boys watched Caveman as he told his little story. "You told us so many times," groaned Armpit, which led to more complaints. But Caveman was still watching me, something of awe and fear were in his eyes.

I didn't like that. If he were going to respect me, it was going to be because I was one of them, not because I was a girl or I could break his jaw.

"Hey Hex," Started X-Ray. All the boys looked over at him. I was still focused on Caveman. "Hex," he said. It took me a moment to realize he meant me. I looked up, shocked.

"Me?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Why?" I asked. "Why... Hex?"

"You put a spell on everyone here,"

I wasn't sure of that was a pick-up line or the truth. After all, everyone seemed dazed from my presence. I guess the name was appropriate.

Caveman smiled at me then took another bite of his bread. I looked down at my own bread, my nose crinkled from the smell.

"You better eat," said Squid, a little concerned. "You'll need strength to dig a hole tomorrow,"

I nodded, though I was pretty sure I could dig a simple hole. Instead of eating, though, I looked around at the boys at the table, taking inventory on their personalities. X-Ray, who was staring me down, was the scrawny player, it was so obvious. He also seemed like the leader, the way he claimed everything. I think Squid was next in command, though he seemed really sweet. I guessed after Squid came Armpit, who didn't speak much and when he did it was something either growl-y or sarcastic. Lets see... After Armpit? Probably Zigzag. He was the strangest, with his wild hair and eyes to match. He seemed like he hated me, and everything he did was unexpected. I could never tell he was going to do next.

Hmm, next was probably Caveman. He felt sympathy for me, I could feel it, and he was probably the sweetest. After him was Magnet, who was amusing, the things he said, and how he got here, which I learned over the course of the hours that he stole a puppy. He was the animal-loving type.

Then last, the only one who hasn't spoken to me, the quiet, small one. Zero. I could guess why they called him that. He had zero ability to talk. Nothing was going on under those frilly curls. It was kind of sad, but whatever. I was under Zero in the chain, and for more reasons than being the newest at camp.

I growled.

"You okay?" asked Armpit.

I jumped. That scared me. "Oh, yeah, I was just trying to guess the pecking order here," I stumbled over my words, embarrassed.

X-Ray laughed. "Alright, what you got so far?"

"Okay, here's my guess." I didn't care if I hurt any of the boys' feelings. Some instinct told me this was a start to break past the sexist wall and become one of them. "X-Ray is the leader, then Squid, Armpit, Zigzag, Caveman, Magnet and Zero," I secretly crossed my fingers.

"Not a bad guess," Squid nodded, then grinned at Armpit, who just rolled his eyes

I laughed. "Let me guess, Armpit is really before you?"

Squid nodded. "Sadly, yes. And Magnet is before Caveman. But other than that, you did good," he smiled. So did I.

Yeah. I _did_ do good.

After dinner—or as I like to call it, food poisoning—I was instructed to take a shower. Oh joy. A shower in a camp of thirty-five boys. How fun.

So, I climbed into the shower stall. I followed by over half the camp. I groaned and slammed the door. I began stripping myself of my old sweaty clothes and threw them over the side of the stall. I heard laughs and whistles. I rolled my eyes and turned the knob. _I ope they dont steal them _I thought. The cold water felt great on my hot flesh. A welcome relief, despite the awkward feelings that hung over me like a rain cloud.

"Hey! Get away!" called a voice. Squid. "Go drool cover something else." I heard something thump on the side of the stall. I guessed it was him leaning on it. I pictured him crossing his arms and chuckled. I heard the scuffle of shoes and grumbles at the boys left.

"Thanks," I shouted over the patter of water. I noticed there was no drain. The water overflowed out the sides and dissolved quickly in the parched ground.

"Yeah," Squid said. "You know, it just bothers me, the way they treat you like that, just drooling over you like you're a piece of food," he said. The heart in this statement made me smile. He was so nice. Or maybe it was just an act, to get my attention. I sighed. Probably was. After all, I _was_ dealing with a camp of devious minds. Devious minds competing over the attention of a new girl.

"You okay?" Squid asked.

"Er, yeah, I guess" I smiled. Then I heard more footsteps and I heard Caveman's voice. Unlike my doubts with Squid, Caveman seemed genuinely nice and understanding.

"Hi, Squid. Whatcha doin'?" He asked.

"Er, well, you could say I'm protecting Hex's virginity."

I blushed. I guessed Caveman did too. I could hear it in his voice. "Er...oh...okay..." I heard another thump as Caveman leaned against the stall.

"Hey could you take over? I gotta go check on Zig, he doesn't look so good..." I heard is foot steps fade away. I was kind of sad, but Caveman was good company too.

"What's wrong with Zig?" I asked, assuming that was Zigzag.

"I don't know," Caveman seemed uncertain. "He looks green... oh! He just barfed!"

I winced. I didn't much like barf. But then again, who did? "Yuck," I said. I wondered why. Surely Zigzag was sued to the harsh conditions by now?

"Yeah," Caveman laughed nervously.

Then the shower shut off. I was surprised, but Caveman jumped in. To explain, I mean. "It only lasts four minutes. Some way to save water,"

"Oh. Okay. Could you hand me my towel?" My white, dirt stained towel came flying over the top of the stall. "Thanks. Also my clothes?"

"Sure." A big bundle of clothes came flying over next. I didn't like changing in a wet stall, but it was better than changing in front of Caveman. Especially the undergarments part. I blushed even thinking about it.

When I was finished, I stepped out. My hair was damp, but the heat quickly took care of that.

Caveman walked with me as I headed back. "You know," I started, taking this opportunity to talk to him. "I want respect here, but I don't want it because I'm a girl or because I can beat people up," I told him. "I want to be one of you guys." He was probably the only one who would understand this confusing feeling.

He glanced at me. "I respect you," he said quietly.

I looked down. "Is that because I punched X-Ray, or because..." I didn't want to remind him of our great grandparents' encounter. I just let him use his imagination and fill in the blanks.

"Well, you proved to us plenty of times you aren't just some girly-girl..." He started, nodding slowly. He didn't finish. I didn't want him too. He got what I wanted him to get, and that was just fine.

"So, does Zero talk?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Only when he wants to. He's not stupid though. I'm teaching him to read, and he's great at math."

"Oh" I felt bad now for my impression of him earlier. "Sorry, Caveman. I didn't know that"

"Please, can you call me Stanley?"

_Whoa. He's the only one who wants me to call him by his real name._

"You know, you probably should get some sleep so you have energy for tomorrow. You'll need a lot," he continued, sighing. "Trust me,"

I smiled. He smiled back. "Okay, Stanley" I said, trying out this new name on my tongue. I pushed back the canvas flap and went back into the tent. Zigzag was sitting on a cot, his face in his hands. The other boys were laughing at him, poking him and calling him barfbag. I felt bad for him, despite how he seemed to hate me.

I sat beside him, shot glares at the boys, and whispered "You okay?"

He jerked his head over at me. He looked pale and his eyes were more fierce than ever. "I'm..." he was cut off by another stream of barf. Despite the terrible, rotting odor, I didn't flinch, while the others jumped back and made gagging sounds as it splattered on them.

Then I hatched another good idea. I remembered what the Warden said. _"If you need anything, you just ask me."_

I sympathetically patted his back and said "Be right back" as I got up and headed for the Warden's cabin. I noticed that it had two big trees with a hammock stretched out between them. I carefully avoided the shade, remembering, again, the conversation from earlier. She owns the shade. I didn't want to get in trouble on the first day, no matter how tempting the cool darkness looked.

When I knocked on the old wood door, she opened it with an annoyed look on her face, but them smiled when she saw me. She was wearing a white tank top and boxer shorts. The coolness was unbelievable in the cabin, and it was a welcome change. It was at least thirty five degrees cooler than out here in the raging heat.

"Um, Lou? Can I have some more shower tokens?"

She looked angered at first, and then she must have smelled the barf on me. "Oh, my, sweetie I'm so sorry," she dashed back into her cabin, and handed me a box. "Take as many as you need," she seemed overly animated, as if truthfully she was really pissed at me and was hiding it. I wondered why? Was it because I was related to some dead outlaw?

Weird.

I grabbed five and thanked her, trying my best not to be sarcastic. I dashed back to D-Tent as fast as I could in this oven and dropped the tokens on Zigzags lap. _Maybe this will get him to like me better. _I thought hopefully.

He looked at them, then at me. His eyes seemed to go right through me, and I flinched.

"Look, the water will cool you off and make you feel better, and it will wash all this shit off you," I told him, trying my best not to lose my sympathetic edge.

He stared at me for what seemed like forever. It was trying to place me, I could tell. It seemed like that with Zigzag. He had to figure everyone out, or else he wasn't satisfied. Maybe that's why he seemed to glare at me with so much rage.

Then, after looking me over for what seemed like days, he grabbed the tokens, stood up, and nodded his long bobble-head neck.

"Thanks" he whispered, and walked out.

The other boys looked at me, jaws dropped just like they did when I first saw them.

"Can you do that for us?" X-Ray asked, a hopeful look in his eye.

"Only if you spew crap all over yourselves," I spat, suddenly tired. I sat down in my cot, and pulled the thin sheet over myself, watching the other boys from my new point of view. They were still staring at me.

"What am I? TV?" I growled. They muttered and began situating themselves in their own beds. Except Squid. He was still staring at me. Finally, he came closer to my bed and sat down on the edge.

_Great. I was wrong. He was just as perverted as the rest of them._

He smiled at me. "That was really nice, Hex" he said.

_Oh._

"Yeah, I felt bad for him," I said, trying to sound modest. "He's a weird one though."

"Yeah," he shrugged. "He wouldn't be Zigzag if we weren't"

I laughed.

"Well, good night" he said.

"'Night to you too" I said.

I fell asleep smiling.

* * *

**lol i loved the warden and how coo coo shes being. **

**plz R&R**

**well, actually, ur done reading if ur down this far. so i guess just one R lol**


	3. First hole's the hardest

**Okay this is when you see Alex's life start to look a little bit like a certain "marine creature" we all know and love. I did it like that so she has a connection with squid, and it sets it up for the next few chapters.**

**i do not own the genius that is the "Dig It" song. Like i said before, that is just in there for laughs.**

**i dont own anything except Alex and her pitiful flashbacks.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

I jolted awake in the middle of the night. I couldn't tell what woke me until I rubbed my eyes and looked up. Zigzag was towering over me, staring at me with what seemed like voltage in is blue eyes. He was wearing nothing except boxer shorts. I felt obliged to look way, but I was to tired and a just a little bit to scared to move.

"Thank you" he whispered.

"Uh, for what?" I was still tired. And annoyed.

"The tokens" he explained.

I groaned. Didn't we go over this? "Er, your welcome," I was eager to get back to sleep, though it was probably almost 4:30 and we'd all be getting up anyway. I sat up, taking this rare opportunity where nobody's eyes were on me (well, except Zigzags) to get changed.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Changing. Do you mind?" I snapped, grabbing one of my fresh tee shirts I brought. I was lucky Mr. Sir wasn't applying that stupid "wear the same clothes for three days and then we do laundry" rule on me. I knew deep down it was because I was a girl, but I wasn't too offended seeing as I got the upper hand.

Zigzag turned away without a word.

I pulled the fresh shirt over me and sighed in happiness, then I pulled on my orange jumpsuit (sadly, I had to wear _this_ for three days without a washing break. Oh well, at least I got my way with my tee shirts) and put on my yellowed socks and dirty shoes I was given my first day. Time to dig. Yay.

Zigzag was still turned when I finished. "I'm decent," I whispered, trying not to wake up the others, who were stirring in there sleep. Zigzag peered over at me with one eye, then fully turned, his face still in that wide eyed glare. That was getting old.

"Still bothered that I'm a girl?" I asked sarcastically.

He didn't answer. He just kept staring at me.

"Er, do you know the time?" I asked to break the ice.

"4:12" he said, not even glancing to look for a clock. _Whoa... okay..._ I thought, but knew better than to ask. He stared at me for a few more minutes before going to sit on his cot. He picked up a piece of paper, and began flipping through it. It looked kinda like a brochure, but I couldn't tell in the darkness.

"I wish we had cable," he sighed dreamily.

_Cable? I didn't even know we had a TV! _

"Do we have TV here?" I asked with hope. I really needed a connection to the outside word. Honestly, it was like we were on another planet.

"Yes." He answered. "In the Wreck room"

Ah, the rec room. I had only heard of it, not having a chance to check it out yet. Hopefully I could today. It probably was the only place to have fun.

"Oh," I replied, then decided to take a chance in dangerous waters. "What's that?"

"My _TV Guide._" He said, leafing through the pages.

_Um... Okay..._

I decided to kill time by writing. I pulled out my note book and started a fresh page. I loved making new characters. I had more characters than I did pages to make them on.

I found myself drawing Stanley. _He would make a good main character in a book. _I thought. _Sweet, lots of potential. Real Feelings. Cute._

I wrote a little description of him above the picture, sort of like a character profile. I wrote down everything describing him. Well, except 'cute' of course. I knew some guy would look through it sooner or later, and I didn't want an assumption that I liked Stanley on top of everything else.

A loud blare made me yelp. It screamed on for a few seconds, and it rang in my ears for a minute after it stopped. _God, I hope that doesn't happen every day._ Everyone in the tent groaned and sat up, rubbing their eyes. They saw me already dressed, sitting upright in my bed.

"Whoa, early riser," Magnet yawned, saying something else in Spanish I couldn't understand.

"Yeah I guess" I said, glancing at Zigzag. He was still in his boxers and reading his _TV Guide_. "Weird," I murmured under my breath, still scribbling words in my notebook.

"What's that?" Asked Stanley. For some reason, he looked hopeful. "Are you writing something? To someone?"

"Your boyfriend?" Squid asked, a trace of disappointment in his voice.

"No," I said to Stanley and "_No!" _to Squid. I looked back at Stanley. "I write books."

"Oh" he said. "Can I read sometime?" He sat up and began pulling on his shirt. He, too, was only in boxer shorts.

_Not the one about you. _"Yeah, in fact I have a finished one somewhere," I shrugged.

"Cool" he smiled, then yawned. "Are you seriously not tired?" he asked skeptically.

I heaved a sigh. "As hell, but I'm not showing it"

He laughed then pulled on his socks. I got up and walked into the cool, early morning air. "Ah, yes! Cold!" I sighed in content, which was followed by pity laughs.

"Enjoy it while you can!" called Armpit, unseen from behind the flap. "It's going to get a lot hotter later."

"I know," I called back.

The boys walked in a group along wit hthe rest of the camp to a little shack that read 'Library' in chipped, faded paint. Mr. Sir was leaning against it, chewing on another sunflower seed, I assumed.

"You Girlies ready?" he asked in his gruff Texan voice.

"Yes Mr. Sir," they replied in monotone unison.

He grunted and opened the "Library", which was really a shack full of shovels. The campers got in a line, and took them out one by one.

I was last, of course, and Mr. Sir reminded me "This isn't the Girl Scouts your used too,"

"I don't go to Girl Scouts. If I did, I woun't be here, would I?" I shot back. This guy was getting on my nerves.

I gripped the shovel in my hands. I never realized how tall five feet was. I gulped and followed the rest of the boys toward our designated digging area.

Mr. Sir showed us our individual spots to dig, and everyone began. Well, everyone except me. I just stared at the little spot he made with his boot spur, then at my shovel. This was going to be a long day.

"Remember," Mr. Sir had said, "If you find anything interesting, report it to me or Mr. Pendanski, alright? You might get they day of, if we like what you find,"

_I hope I find something _I thought.

"You better start," X-Ray said. "Just because you're a girl doesn't mean we're gunna dig it for you."

I scowled. "I can do my own work," I aimed the shovel at the ground and rammed it down at the dirt. It didn't even make a scratch. I growled, aiming again, this time jumping on it. Same results. Ugh.

"Okay, I can do this," I pep talked myself as I thought about strategies. I looked up and saw the whole of D-Tent looking at me, amused.

"Told ya," Armpit snickered.

I narrowed my eyes but otherwise did nothing. I realized that digging was my main focus, and I couldn't get distracted. I really needed to figure this out. Everyone else was already in a rhythm of shoveling the dirt and tossing it over their shoulder.

I tried to wedge my shovel between a crack, then jump on it. It sunk about an inch. _Oh good, I'm getting somewhere. _I thought proudly, continuing to jump on my shovel, enjoying as it sunk more and more, until I decided to go for a scoop.

I pulled my shovel back, and with some effort, pulled a small clump of dry dirt out of the lake. "Yay, my first dirt clod. I'm so proud," I said to myself, dumping I by my feet. I then noticed that the guys were carrying their dirt far away from their hole, and then I realized why. _So they have room to dig. _I began doing the same.

Pleased, I realized as I got deeper into the ground, the soil got easer to get through to. I was able to get more and more in one shovel full with less and less effort, and finally, I hit the jackpot. Soft soil that I could pile on my blade easily and plentiful before caring it away to my increasingly growing pile.

But as soon as one conflict was solved, another came up. I had blisters. Big, fat blisters on my palm from pressing the shovel around in my hand. And they hurt like hell.

"Arg," I groaned as tried to hold my shovel in a different position to avoid the pain. I continued to dig, though that wasn't what I wanted to do. I noted with pleasure, after about fifteen minutes, my hole did get noticeably deeper. I stuck my blade in to the dirt, trying to get into a rhythm and attempt to ignore my throbbing pain. I dug with my rhythm for a while until I was able to tune out the pain, which worked fairly well, until I put pressure on a severely sore spot, and out a yelp.

"You doin' okay?" I couldn't tell who called. I was too busy trying to regain my meter.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm doing fine," I called over my shoulder and I jabbed at the dirt with my blade, then piling over my mini mountain of dirt. I glanced at my hole. It looked to be about a foot now.

"Only ten million more to go," called Stanley.

_So not helpful. _I wanted to shout back, but I didn't. I tried to regain my rhythm and drown out everything else. I began humming.

_Humming? Since when do I hum? Oh right. Since I began digging five feet holes in a desert wasteland. _

Humming wasn't a good idea, since after about five minutes, my throat seemed to shrivel up. I leaned down and took a sip from my canteen. It felt like perfection as it flowed down my throat in waves of refreshment.

So I stopped humming, and started thinking. Mostly about my stories. What to make my evil neighbors do to a poor paper boy, what to make my next evil warlord to do a helpless princess, what to make my Stanley do to the Warden.

I smiled. I already had several ideas of how that was going to work out for Stanley. Would she let him live? Would the Warden bury him in one of the many pre-dug graves? Would D-Tent rebel? The possibilities were endless.

I loved it.

But stories weren't the only thing i was thinking about. As much as i tried to push them away, memories flowed into my brain.

_I sat down on the floor, munching on a slice of moldy bread that I'd found in the neighbors trash can. It tasted like heaven as i chewed and let it ease my stomachs cries of pain. It was the only food I'd had in three days. _

_i knew i had to eat it fast, before my dad got home and took it from me. I took my last bite and swallowed. The relief my belly felt was only to be short lived, for i knew from several occasions before that mold would make me throw up. I headed for the bathroom as i felt the stabbing pain inside of me arise. I leaned over the toilet, waiting._

_"Alex!" boomed a voice as the door slammed open. I cringed as the sudden noise made my vomit expel faster. It wasnt the feeling of barfing that got me. It was the sound. I listened in horror to myself groan and retch._

_"Why you puking, girl?" bellowed my father has he rammed me in the back with his thick-set hand, causing me to miss the toilet and spew on the ground. I could smell the sour beer scent of beer in his voice as he breathed in my face. "You better clean that up," he pushed me into the puke that spattered on the ground. The smell made me cry._

_"Clean it!" he roared, putting his foot on the back of my head so i couldn't move. I had to do something or else he would crush my skull. I began lapping at vomit, chewing the chunks and nearly re-barfing them again. But i forced myself not to. I couldn't with my father right there. _

_The vomit tasted salty with tears._

After a while, I felt heat, but I didn't take much notice of it. It wasn't _too_ bad... just the beads of sweat that broke out of my skin. But I could live with that.

I glanced down at my hole. Two feet, but it was in the shape of a cone, not the perfect, smooth sided holes like I saw on the lake. I chipped away at the slopping edges and smoothed them out, slowly forming a neater figure. I glanced at the horizon. The sun was almost up. I widened my eyes. Was I really zoned that long?

As the sun got higher, so did the temperature. The beats of sweat grew fatter and dripped down my chin. I wiped them away and scooped another shovel of dirt.

I tried my best to get deep into my stories and their characters, but it was harder when I could feel heat on my back.

_Let's see, _I thought _I guess if I continue at this pace, I could be done before..._ I wasn't much good at math, but thinking about it made the rhythm come easier and the sun leave faster.

_How dumb of me not to bring sunscreen..._ I thought angrily and I rammed my shovel into the dirt. I already could feel the heat burning into my skin, like a magnifying glass in the sun, aimed at a poor helpless bug. I pictured myself shriving up at the glee of a giant toddler.

It didn't really help.

So, instead of thinking, I looked up over at C Tent, who were about three hundred yards away, but weren't digging. they were watching me, and everyone and a while whispering to each other and snickering. They were also shouting things, but I couldn't make out the words. I glanced at my shovel, hovering over my hole, angled and ready to take another scoop. _I can do wonderfully violent things with this pointed blade _I thought, glancing up again at Group C.

I sighed to myself, shaking my head. Would the humiliation ever end, without resorting to violence? Even boys in my own tent were still watching me with pleasure at times. Like right now. I glanced angrily at X-Ray, who's mouth was hanging open. He looked like a hungry dog, watching someone cook a steak.

"Shut your mouth," I whispered, my throat already dried up again. I took a long swig from my canteen. X-Ray either didn't hear, or didn't care. I shrugged and turned away, taking another scoop with my shovel.

"Dig it oh oh oh dig it," I sang softly.

The boys looked up at me, a questioning look on their faces.

"You got to go dig those holes," I sang again, trying out the verse on my tongue. I flung another dirt pile past my shoulder.

"Er... with broken hands and weathered souls, emancipated from all you know," I wasn't too bad with improvisational poetry. "Dig it oh oh oh dig it"

I made up random verses as I went along to my new song. I didn't know about the others, but it helped me dig. "Wake in the morning before the sun, keep digging that hole till the day is done," I sighed and scooped out a large rock that was in my way.

"Not bad," said Magnet, who was digging his hole beside mine. "Where'd ya learn to sing that that, amiga?"

I shrugged and pushed the rock away from my hole so it wouldn't fall in. "I took writing classes while I was still in school, and I messed around with improv, so I guess I've had some experience,"

I looked back at my hole. About three feet in the middle. It still looked like a cone, no matter how hard I tried to adjust it. I stabbed my blade into the side and pulled out a large chunk of compacted dirt. I reached down to take another gulp of water, but I realized that it was empty.

"Damn," I hissed.

I continued to dig. It was starting to get unbelievably hot, and it wasn't even noon yet. My throat felt like sand paper, and I longed to take a long, ice cold drink. I growled, which stressed on my parched vocals, and rubbed my lower back. It was getting sore. I groaned. This was worse than the blisters, which still throbbed on my hands.

"Work it," whispered X-Ray softly. I wanted to wham him into the dirt, but I was too tired and too sore. I just got lost in my thoughts again, trying to ignore the fire in my throat.

_I slammed on the trailer door with my fist, which was becoming quite bloody. "Let me in," i begged. _

_I hard laughing. "Six year olds who cry don't get to live in a warm, cozy house," shouted my mother's current boyfriend, Rob. Or if that's what it was. I could never remember.  
_

_"I didn't mean to cry," i sniffed. "I was just hungry. I felt a raindrop on my arm. Or was that a tear?_

_"What do you mean, you didn't mean to cry?" my mother sounded disgusted as she yanked open the trailer door. For a moment i was hopeful she would let me in, but she just thrusted an ashtray at me. "Eat this if your so damn hungry, you mother fucker!" she slammed the door._

_I glanced at the ashes. I felt more raindrops on my body, and the wind picked up speed. I blocked the ashtray with my arm and stuck out my tongue to taste them. I heard the crashing of beer bottles in the trailer and drunken laughing. I tried my best not to cry. Crying was for wimps. I learned that early on. I was a loss told that food was for losers who need to eat, but i was sure that was just so i had an excuse not to ask her for any._

_I gobbled the rest of the ashes, grateful that it wasn't glass i was given a week ago._

I was awoken back to Camp Green Lake when I noticed a huge cloud of dirt swirling in the distance. At first, I thought it was a sandstorm, like in the movies, where everyone was wiped out, but then as it got closer, I saw it was just aroused dirt from a rusty pickup truck.

It screeched to a halt, and everyone got up out of there holes. At first, hope arised that maybe we got to go back, but I saw Mr. Sir jump out and stand behind the truck. I noticed there was a huge bin in the back with a spigot on the side, made of the same material as my canteen. I jumped out of my hole and followed the boys over.

They stood hesitantly in a clump as they watched me approach the truck. "Come get your water," said Mr. Sir, gesturing toward the giant bin.

"Yes!" I said as loud as I could with my aching throat. I ran back to get my canteen, nearly tripping over my dirt pile in the process.

"Don't you guys want water?" I asked, holding out my canteen for Mr. Sir to fill. They were still huddled.

"It's only polite to let you go first," X-Ray smirked at me. If I wasn't so thirsty, and water wasn't so precious, I would have dumped my water all over him. I just shot him a glare instead.

The boys, after I was finished filling my canteen, lined up in their order. I watched for a second as they got there canteens filled, then returned to my hole. No time to waste.

I took a swig, a welcome relief to my dusty mouth, and stuck my shovel in the dirt. I heard footsteps and turned to see Mr. Sir walking over to my hole.

"Having fun, Girl Scout?" he said, popping a sunflower seed in his mouth.

"I told you, I'm not a Girl Scout," I reminded him acidly.

"You sure are diggin' like one," he spat the shell on the ground, then turned and walked away. "You better hurry, unless you want to melt in the sun," he called over his shoulder.

"Stupid asshole," I clutched my shovel and continued digging. My back roared in pain as I bent over, and my new raw blisters stung when I held the shovel, but did my best to ignore it. I was tough and I wasn't going to let some little sores screw me up. I was going to finish this hole. I mean, it couldn't get any worse, right? Like Stanley said, _"First holes the hardest"_

I scooped up another dirt clod and piled it on my dirt pile. It was getting awfully close to my hole. I didn't want a cave in, so I began moving my pile farther back from my hole, about three feet, then went back to my hole once that was done.

I let my mind wander, but soon wished I didn't as one of my many horrible memories replayed in my mind.

"_Daddy?" I whispered, clutching my knees to my chest, sucking on the blood that was dripping out of them. It was the only way to make the blood stop, since neither my parents ever gave me a band-aid. _

_"Shut up!" Barked my mother, sitting on the ratty old couch, her hands around a shirtless man. I shrank back, and continued sucking on my knees, hoping to stop the blood flow. I knew their loving embrace would stop as soon that the full extent of their drinking would kick in. Then they would stop throwing beer bottles at me, and start throwing them at each other. Then he would leave, and my mother would start hurting me, throwing lit cigarettes at me, and beating me with whatever object she could find. I knew because it had happened so many times before._

_I felt a tear fall down my cheek_

_"Stop crying, you lazy bitch" shouted my father, throwing another beer bottle in my direction. I let it smash against my back, and I flinched as warm blood wet my shirt. Since I couldn't suck on my back, I was left to find something else to stop the blood._

_I got up, hastily dodging another bottle thrown at me, and ran don the steps of our trailer, tripping and spewing across the pavement. I felt more blood gush out of my knee as I stumbled up. The trailer door opened, and another bottle smashed only inches from where I was standing. Without thinking, I began to run. I wasn't sure where to, or why, but I didn't return._

"Um, Hex?" I was jolted out of my memory as I looked up at Squid, who was standing over me, looking concerned. "Why are you crying?"

Absentmindedly, I wiped away the tear that was rolling down my cheek. "N-no reason," I meant to say something sour and witty, but I didn't have it in me right now. I looked away and continued to dig. Squid stood there for a moment before going back to his own hole. I jammed my shovel blade into the dirt, trying to get another rhythm started. It was harder with my heart dropped to my stomach.

The water truck came again, and Mr. Sir handed us sack lunches along with filling our canteens. I wasn't sure what the food was, but I ate it gratefully, glad to be distracted from digging and hurtful flashbacks. I sat on the edge of my hole, my feet dangling in it.

I bit into what I thought was an attempt at a sandwich and tried to keep my thoughts at bay as I stared lazily at the sky, squinting at the intruding rays of the sun. I could do that all day, but I had a hole to dig.

I swallowed the rest of my sandwich and climbed back into my hole, picking up my shovel. The others were still eating, but it was good to have a head start. Much as I wanted to think otherwise, I was going to be the last one out here, probably digging into the hottest part of the day, though I couldn't imagine it got much worse. I glanced at the others' holes. They were a lot further than i was. They would start to leave pretty soon.

Sure enough, about thirty minutes after the water truck left, Zero climbed out of his hole, and held his shovel blade down in it, balancing it with his hand, to make sure his hole was as tall as the shovel was. I watched jealously as he measured the rest, spat in it, and walked back to camp. I sighed and continued digging.

"Dig it oh oh oh dig it," I murmured after taking another drink. "You got to go dig those holes."

By now the sloped edges of my hole were made straight. But it still wasn't done. It was only about chest deep and lopsided. I continue to dig, thinking of the near impossible feat that lay in the hot hours ahead.

I took another sip of my water, and sat down in the shade of my hole. I really needed a rest. I had twice as many blisters as before, and most of them ripped open in raw redness. My lower back and knees started to hurt, and I was really dizzy. _Is this what its like to be old? _I wondered. I leaned back on the cool dirt, and closed my eyes. It felt good on my sweaty forehead.

"Hex, you okay?" called Stanley.

"Yeah," I quickly got up, which led to a moment of nausea. I clutched my stomach until them moment passed, and grabbed my shovel, jabbing it into the dirt.

One by one, following Zero, the boys climbed out of there hole, measured it and spat in it. I watched them as I dug. Soon it was only me and Stanley.

He looked over at me. "First holes the hardest," he said, as if that would ease my pain.

"So I've heard," I grunted as I pulled another large rock out of the dirt and rolled it across the desert far away from my hole. My knees wobbled weakly, and I stumbled down into the dirt. It felt hot against my exposed skin, I rolled over on my back, but otherwise didn't move. I was too tired.

"Hex!" Stanley called. I saw him lean over me, a worried expression on his face. All I wanted to do was lie there. And I did. Stanley shook me and called my name.

"I'm fine" I managed to groan, rubbing my blisters with my thumb. "Just let me lay down a sec," Stanley looked hesitant, then went back to his hole.

I watched the wide expanse of nothingness until I had to pee. Oh lord, I had to pee _bad_.

"Stanley," I mumbled, sitting up.

"Yeah?" he stopped digging and looked over at me.

"Where do I go to the bathroom?" He looked at me in horror. I rolled my eyes. "You _do _go pee around here, right?" I asked.

He looked around nervously before answering. "We just pick a hole, any hole."

_Great._

"Okay fine," I said, getting up and heading out, searching for a hole far enough so I had privacy. "Make sure nothings living in it" Stanley called.

"I don't care," I muttered, crouching into my chosen bathroom. "I'll just pee on it,"

When I finished, I stumbled back toward my hole. Stanley was sitting on the side of his, taking sips from his canteen. He looked finished.

"You done?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah,"

"Why aren't you leaving?"

"I don't want you to be here all by yourself,"

I stared at him. _Wow... he's sitting here in the hot sun so I don't have to be by myself._

"Yeah, just do me a favor, okay?" I asked him.

"What?"

"Just bury me in my hole when im finished,"

He laughed, but I wasn't joking.

* * *

**I hope i did the flash backs okay. PLEASE R&R xx**


	4. Drawing the faces of personality

**ah-kay fifth chappie is up. and plz comment. im living on those fake-y "omg its sooo good" reviews from not-so-honest-but-good-hearted friends. **

**still loving Squidly.**

**btw i dont own spongebob or the simpsons or anything besides Alex. R AND R!!**

* * *

I did finish my hole, and I wasn't buried in it, though I felt like I needed to be. I was barely more than pile of flesh and bones. I did my best to walk back to camp, stumbling every once and a while. Stanley steadied me with his arm.

"Thanks," I whispered hoarsely. He nodded and slowly let me go.

I staggered over to the shower and glanced around. The cost was clear. I hurried inside, striped my clothes, hung them over the side, and turned the knob. The cool water poured all over me, and I sighed. It felt like a whole different world than what I'd been living for twenty-four hours. It became brown with the dirt it washed of my skin, and make my muscles looser. Four minutes of the greatest part of the day, and when it shut of, I almost cried. It was over. Bam! Like that.

I sighed and pulled on my clothes, not caring if they became sopping on skin contact, and weakly walked toward the rec room, glancing warily at a scribbled sign that said "Wreck Room" on the door.

"Now why would they—" I asked myself as I stepped through the doorway. I saw why. Everything was wrecked. The chairs and couches had holes and cuts them, and seemed to sag pitifully. The pool table had wrinkles and carves in its felt, and the TV, I was angry to see, was nothing but static with a bashed in screen.

"I bet she's great in bed—" I heard a guy say to the right of me. I shot him an angry glance. I was tired, hot, sore, and I didn't want to dig up the energy to beat him up.

Heh heh heh... "Dig up the energy". Oh I crack myself up.

I guess that's the kinda jokes you start to crack when you're out on a dry lake bed all day, digging. I groaned and flopped in a chair, shooting sideways glances at Zigzag, who was sitting and watching the bashed up TV attentively.

Boys were whispering and winking at me as I glanced warily around the room. _Well, I guess I still got D-tent to treat me okay..._ I glanced at them, gathered by the pool table. They were watching me in the same manner as the others. I sighed and got up, using my every last bit of energy to get out of there. It was depressing me.

_Will I always be just a spectacle to the eye? Just a thing of enjoyment to everyone else?_ I asked myself desperately.

When I got to the tent, I fell on my cot gratefully. I didn't care how disgusting or uncomfortable it was. It was better than digging. Or being in the Wreck room.

Someone entered the tent after me. Zero. I sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't bother me by talking. My lips were too tired to make a sassy comment.

"I'm sorry," said Zero quietly.

I closed my eyes in agony. _Seriously, where is a mute juvenile delinquent when you need one? _"For what?" I managed to ask. It took every ounce of energy I could scrape out of me.

"For the way they treat you,"

It was the Squid-Shower scene all over again.

"Yeah, whatever," I said, rolling over to face the wall.

After a while, I heard Zero leave. Either that or someone entered. But since I didn't hear footsteps or a voice, I guessed I was alone.

By then, I had enough strength to pick up my note book and begin sketching. I decided to draw everyone in D-Tent to keep me busy until dinner.

I started with Zigzag. He had memorable features that I could draw easily without him in the room with me to observe: Wide, blue, voltage eyes; Frizzy blonde hair; and everlasting grimace that could lead to a random outburst at anytime. "Acute paranoia" Squid had called it. I began sketching, my hand flowing wildly across the page, especially when I drew his hair. His hair was the more enjoyable part. I laughed out loud several times.

In his hand I drew the _TV Guide _and the glow of the TV on his skin, as if he was watching. To make it more dramatic, I left everything in gray pencil except his eyes. Those I colored a deep blue.

I held my drawing back at arms length and smiled. It was pretty good for a photographic memory sketch. But then again, once you saw a guy like Zigzag, you couldn't really get him _out_ of your memory.

I decided on Squid next. He was also fairly easy to draw, whatnot with the everlasting toothpick and sly smile. Something in the back of my brain, whenever I saw Squid, told me that he was never this nice before. He always was scheming and had a sneaky nature. That's what was really depressed me. If he was as nice a guy as Stanley, I would like him a lot better. Something was just telling me had something in his past, something that caused that slight agonized look to his features.

But, at the same time, something told me his kind nature wasn't an act.

Whatever. I shrugged the thoughts off and began sketching. I couldn't be as wild and spontaneous with this one. I had to capture the hidden nature, the tough boy growl and yet the angst that shadowed his eyes, but also the gentleness he had when ever he held his toy octopus.

I enjoyed a challenge.

I worked on Squid's face, trying to mix the emotions without messing up the affect. I was still trying to decide on his position and the arrangement on his features.

I finally decided on a sitting position, with the view of his side, and after some debate, holding his octopus. I did my best to sketch out his complicated emotions all in one facial expression. It was hard, and after some erasing, I held up my work. Perfect.

Squid was sitting on his cot, alone in the tent. I had made his face just how I pictured it in my mind: memories of apparent turmoil amid in his eyes, but a smile of appreciation as he gazed down at his most prized possession, which he held gently in his hands. Everything around him had a depressing, dull shade to it, and melancholy shadows were all around him. Everything was dark, except the octopus. _That _I had made a rainbow of pastel colors, lighting up the tent and the harshness of Squids life in brilliant hues. Once again I was proud of my work.

I heard the dinging of the dinner bell and the scurrying of hungry boys as I signed my name at the bottom of the page. I sighed, put my notebook in my bag and got up, ready to fill my empty belly with revolting slop.

I walked alone toward the mess hall. No hurry. I was planning out my next sketch. _Maybe I can do Stanley next. He would be easy to draw. But to capture that emotion..._

I wasn't sure what "that emotion" was. I saw it on his face a lot, and it looked detached, as if something was going on that was more important that what was going on at camp, but he also looked sympathetic, open to anyone's opinion and never harsh. That would be fairly easy.

_Hmmm..._ I thought as I stepped inside the building and getting into line for my food. _I wonder how he'll—_ my thoughts were interrupted as yet another guy stepped fourth in my way.

"Move," I growled, not in the mood for an argument or an aggressive approach.

He looked smug. "You know, B-Tent is getting lonely without you,"

Moi Impressed. How many weeks did it take from him to come up with _that? _"I'd rather not," I mumbled, shoving past him.

"Whoa, hold up babe," he grabbed my shoulder. "No one says no to the Thlump,"

"I believe I just did," I hissed, shoving past him.

After several attempts to hold down dinner, I returned to the tent, in no mood to deal with delusional boys who thought I would even consider falling for their lame pick up lines. I picked up my notebook and tapped my chin with my pencil. It was Stanley's turn, but I wasn't sure how to approach it.

Thinking about it, when he walked me back to camp was a good scene when he had "that emotion" on his face. _I can cover that easily_ I thought happily as I began to sketch it out.

I swept my hand over the page, not noticing the others come one by one through the canvas flap. I had a vogue sense that they were watching me as I shaded in my creation. It was coming along nicely.

Since the scene I was picturing of involved me also, and since I could not draw myself to my liking at _all_, I chose an angle where you saw his face full front, looking at me, and you could only see half of _my_ face, which I intended to cover in dirt from the lake, so I wouldn't have to face the tragedy of drawing my plain, hopeless features.

Stanley's hair was curly, but not wild like Zigzags. I couldn't be free with this one. I etched the color in gingerly, not wanting to ruin the gentle affect of it. When I finished with his hair, I looked at his face. It was blank. I glanced up at the real him, who was sitting on a cot, staring at me, then did my best to reflect that on the page. He worked perfectly as a model, since he had the same facial expression that I wanted in my picture. I kept glancing up and down, much to everyone's confusion as I finished him up by shading the shadows on his face.

Then, when the time came to draw me, I did my best to make my face hidden away behind dust and shadowing. It came almost naturally, since I was so used to covering my face anyway in my drawings. I didn't dwell on things that couldn't be fixed, like my dullness, for example. I looked at my drawing happily.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

"What are you doing?" asked Magnet slowly, when I flipped to an empty page in my sketch book.

"Drawing," I mumbled as I considered who do next. I glanced up at Magnet. He would be perfect in a pastel painting. He was so bright and alive; he couldn't survive in the dark gray hues.

"Are you drawing _Caveman_?" He asked in disbelief. I waited for Stanley to correct him, but he just looked at me expectantly. I shook my head.

"No," I answered honestly. I _wasn't_ drawing Stanley. I was drawing Magnet. Well, almost. I began to rough him out in pencil, his head at an upward angle, laughing, and then I went wild with the pastels. I loved pastels. So easy and whimsical. I giggled several times as I colored magnet in his Hispanic hue. They all just stared at me.

And too soon I was finished. That's what I hated the most about using pastels. I was so experienced using them that everything went by so fast. My picture was bright and colorful, just as I wished for, but I frowned. I wanted to do another, to have that light feeling return.

"Something wrong with your picture?" asked Magnet, clearly the only one interested in talking to me.

"No, it's just...I wanna do another..." I knew that made no sense. Magnet just stared at me. I looked up at him. He was being very nice. He deserved another picture, no? Besides, he was the only one who could make pastels work.

This time, I pictured a scene were he was inside the pet store. It was dark and was reaching into an open dog cage, holding a squirming puppy. He glanced over his shoulder nervously as the dark figure of the manager approached him from a brightly lit doorway.

That was how I pictured the scene when he told his story, anyway.

This picture took a lot of dark pastels, but it worked better than I thought it would for Magnet, since this was a side of him being stealthy. Soon the scene from my thoughts reflected on my page, and once again I was proud and angry that it was over so fast.

"Let me see," said X-Ray, getting up from a dice game from Armpit suddenly and walking over to me.

"No!" I snapped, hiding my notebook under my shirt.

He smiled. "Don't make me reach under there and take it from you,"

I attempted to kick him, but it failed. "Go away," I hissed.

"What are you drawing?" he asked, more curious than before.

I shrugged and slowly pulled my book out of my shirt, afraid he'd try something. He narrowed his eyes and stepped back. I sighed and flipped to a new page and considered who to draw next. I wanted to avoid drawing X-Ray, because that would involve looking at him, and I didn't want to give him the wrong idea. I decided on Armpit. He was slightly plain, but oh well.

This was a light pencil drawing of him concentrating hard on his dice game. It was easy, but I couldn't place his expression. His eyes were squinted, and he looked angry. I wasn't good with drawing anger. Another challenge. Yes!

I concentrated hard on making his face just right, thinking it was ironic that I was concentrating on making concentration. But whatever. I grabbed a colored pencil to shade it in, still debating whether the emotion was just right.

I sighed when it was finished. Time for X-Ray. I glanced up at him, pretending to watch the dice game but secretly studying his features. Too easy.

I drew him leaning against the Wreck room, a sly smile on his lips and his arms leaning casually across each other and his eyes scheming. I made a face as I drew that part. X-Ray wasn't my favorite to draw or look at. To save myself from dealing with it any longer, I made it a simple pencil drawing. No color.

But then again...

I glanced down. It wasn't my best. I bit my lip and glanced up at him again. He was staring at me and smiling. Damn it!

I began shading it in, using pastels for the background, and giggling again in the few seconds I got to scribble. I left X-Ray white as I dug through my pencils, looking for the perfect skin tone.

I pulled a pencil labeled 'coffee' and whispered "perfect" as I shaded, being careful not to leave strike lines.

I finished and sighed. It felt like I was missing something. But what? I flipped through my pages over and over before it hit me. Zero.

Could I capture his... _non_ emotion? It was so blank it was sad. I couldn't have an emotionless drawing. I just couldn't do it. But I opened to a new page anyway and began drawing.

Zero stood between everyone in D-Tent (except me of course), laughing and looking so happy. Everyone had there arm around him or talking to him or at least smiling at him. Zero's eyes were glimmering as he returned there laughs and smiles. He was loved.

At the top, I wrote 'Zero to Hero' in my best graffiti letters as I could, and smiled to myself

"Mission accomplished," I sighed.

"Let me see!" X-Ray reached for it, but I pulled it away. "Stanley first," I snapped, "Because he asked me so nicely, _yesterday,_"

I handed my sketchbook to Stanley and he opened it gratefully. I saw him go from smiles to shock as he leafed through the pages, studying each picture carefully with his eyes.

"These are really good," he whispered, closing the book, "I especially like the one with Zigzag,"

"What? She drew me?" Zigzag screeched as he reached for it, flipping through the pages. "Whoa... you better not show this to the president" he warned, staring at what I assumed was his picture. "The one of Magnet is really good, he might get caught,"

"Dude, I already _was _caught! Now gimme the chica's book" Magnet barked. One by one my book was shown to every D-Tent boy and I beamed. It felt nice to be noticed for more than my gender.

Squid was last. He stared at it for longer than they did. His octopus was in his lap. I watched him carefully as he got up and handed the book to me without a word. I worried. Did he like them?

I held my book as compliments shot out at me. "That's what it felt like when I stole the puppy" said Magnet.

"Zig's eyes made me shiver," said Armpit.

"X-Ray looked as if he wanted to kiss me," laughed Stanley, which let to something being thrown at him.

"The one of Caveman was really good," said X-Ray, retrieving his thrown object.

"They all were," said Stanley, rubbing his forehead. I smiled and glanced at Squid. He was holding his Octopus, lost in thought.

Suddenly Zero entered, and then stopped when all eyes went on him.

"Man, look," Stanley spoke up, pointing to my sketchbook. I handed it to Zero when he hesitated. He slowly looked through the pages, and then stopped on one, staring at it. Then he smiled. He looked just like himself in the picture.

"Hero," Stanley whispered.

"Hero," said Zero quietly.

I nodded and looked back at Squid. I was becoming worried. I stared at him until the others, after much excitement of looking at themselves as cartoons, went to play pool in the Wreck room, and Stanley grabbed a box of stationary and walked out with Zero.

I stood up and sat on Squid's cot, like I had done to Zigzag when he mysteriously barfed. "Um..." I started to say, but then got scared.

"It was really good," he said, killing all efforts to find out what's wrong. "That's what I feel like all the time." He looked over at me and smiled. "Do you do self portraits?"

"Yuck. No" I made a face.

"Why?" he sounded sad.

"Well, one, I'm too plain. And two, it would make me seem full of myself that I had a picture of me instead of using a god damn mirror to look at myself with.

Squid grimaced and looked at his octopus. "I guess that's true. But you aren't to plain. In fact..." he drifted off.

I nodded awkwardly, not to sure what to say, so I didn't say anything. I just got up to join the rest of the D-Tenters.

* * *

**plz review. it will drive me mad if you dont. I'll start watching broken TV sets and think the government is watching my every move and it will be your fault, u lazy ppl who dont want to review! -( **

**lol im jk.**


	5. Am I crazy for watching a broken TV?

**ok for those of you that care, sorry for the short chappie. if u DONT care, y you here, foo?**

**ok anyways, little thing going on between Alex and--**

**oops i guess i wont say it. **

**:-) i'm so nice aren't i?**

**dont own spongebob or anything else except Alex ok?**

* * *

I pushed through the wreck room door, still dazed by the venerability in Squid that past moment. He seemed so raw and open to me. A tortured soul, it seemed. I sighed and stepped up to the game.

"Can I play?" I asked timidly.

X-Ray nodded. "Sure. You can take my next shot."

Normally I would have refused, but I decided it couldn't do me any harm, and I needed to get Squid out of my mind. I waited for Magnet to make his move. When he pocketed the cue ball, he cursed in Spanish. X-Ray handed me his cue stick. I crouched to aim, but I felt him up close behind me.

"Need help?" he asked softly. I shrugged him away.

"I don't need your shit right now," I hissed as I shot, pocketing three balls.

"Damn," muttered Armpit.

"I was banned from Las Vegas for bring a pool shark," I informed them casually as I shot again, the crisp sound of stick hitting ball refreshing me.

We continued to play, X-Ray and me switching back and fourth between turns, until the game ended, X-Ray and me winning of course. Magnet wanted a re-mach, and told them I would just watch. I giggled as X-Ray sweat while without my skill, until I felt something squeeze my butt.

"What..." I turned around and saw yet another boy smiling at me. Great...

"Want to join me tonight, sweetie?" he purred. How tacky. I reached up to punch him, but he grabbed my fist, making me powerless, as he leaned in, his lips puckered. I wanted to knee him, but it was a bad angle. He wouldn't feel a thing.

The entire Wreck room was watching, amazed.

I was going to bite him. That was my last resort.

Here goes...

Suddenly, I heard a smack as kiss boy fell on the ground, a bloody lip. I turned to see Zigzag staring down at me. I gawked.

"D-Tent sticks together," he said, his eyes wide, as he returned to his position by the TV. I felt eyes burning into me. I looked at the bloody boy, then Zigzag, then bloody boy again.

I felt like I owed Zigzag, so I awkwardly walked over to the TV and sat beside him. "What's on?" I asked slowly.

"_The Simpson's_," he replied casually, as if something besides staticy black and white specks were flashing on the screen.

"Oh. What episode?" I asked, not a huge fan of _The Simpson's_.

He didn't look away. "The Christmas special" he said. I nodded, not sure of what to do next. If I left, that would hurt his feelings. If I stayed, I'd be bored to death.

"Why did you do that?" I asked him.

He looked at me, the first time since I sat here. "Because D-Tent sticks together." He repeated softly.

"Yeah, but..."

"You gave me tokens."

Oh... that reminded me...

"Why did you barf anyway?" I asked curiously.

"I saw a government spy camera in my food. They were planning to steal our secrets and take over Texas," He replied solemnly.

I didn't want to say anything that might upset him. He was _serious_! I looked back at the TV, trying not to giggle.

Zigzag stared at it without a reaction to anything that happened on the "show". I looked at him warily a couple of times before I said "Oh! They're starting a new game. I'm going to go join okay?"

"Okay. Have fun. But be careful. Lincoln's dismembered fingers are in the holes." He warned, not looking up. I didn't want to ruin the peace, so said I'd be careful and ran to join the game.

"Man, you okay?" asked X-Ray. "That guy was going for you good,"

"Yeah. I'm fine," I said, grabbing a stick.

"I was going to beat him up," X-Ray defended himself to an unsaid accusation. "But Ziggy beat me to it,"

"I didn't say anything," I said, taking my shot.

I noticed someone come in the door, but I didn't take notice until he stepped up to our game.

"Hey Squidly," said X-Ray.

"Yo Squiggles," said Armpit.

"Uh, hi Squid...ward." I said quickly. Magnet and X-Ray laughed. Squid smiled.

"Nice," he said before grabbing a stick and taking a shot, without asking. I watched, smiling as he pocked a ball.

"Nice," I said, taking my own shot and doubling his score. He eyed me and laughed.

"You some sort of pool shark?" he grinned.

"I guess..." I snickered and glanced at those in on the irony of Squid's joke. I glanced over at Zigzag, watching his show with obvious interest. I sighed and turned back to my game.

Squid, compared to these other losers, was the best pool player ever. He was close competition, and in the end, he won. I sighed in defeat. He smiled.

"No one can beat the Squid man!" he said, gloating. I sighed, congratulated him, and decided to go back to the tent. I wanted to sleep so I wouldn't be so tired in the morning.

I lie in my cot, glaring at the shadows on the ceilings, thinking about my past.

_I opened the bashed up door and stepped inside my mother's bathroom, trying my best to not wake her. Fat chance. She was passed out, almost like death. If only..._

_ I looked at my scarred and bruised self in the mirror, and then looked around for blush. I needed it to cover the wounds. I didn't feel like a making up a story. I had run out._

_ I used my finger and wiped it across the pulsing section of skin, doing my best to make it look natural. It didn't, but at least you couldn't see the bruises._

_ I put in my pocket, just in case I needed for pre-school. I glanced back in the mirror. I looked terrible. But hopefully no one would notice. _

_ I grabbed my mother's wallet and took out a twenty dollar bill to pay for my bus pass, and headed out the door, closing it carefully as to not wake my mom. Sleep equaled peace equaled no beatings._

"Hex?"

I sighed, grateful for a distraction from my merciless memories. "Yeah?"

"You okay?" I realized it was Squid. He sat on the side of my cot, looking at me with worried eyes. I smiled._ I want to kiss him..._

"Damn you Alex!" I shouted as I pushed that thought away.

Squid looked at me questionably before shrugging. "The heat getting to you?"

"Uh... oh, yeah it is." I lied, wiping away the nervous sweat from my forehead and looked at my feet, thinking about the blush.

"What was your life like?" I asked suddenly.

He glanced over at me, glaring. "It's fine," he growled.

"Oh, im sorry, I just needed a distraction from my own life," I rambled on without thinking. Squid looked shocked, then blushed then shook his head. "Really?"

"Uh, yeah, its sort of..." I didn't want to continue. The great contrast of our lives would depress me. "Shitty," I finished, lying back down on my bed, suddenly overwhelming with tired energy. I was asleep before he could reply.

"So is mine,"

* * *

**Ok so anyway, sorry for the short chapter. it just felt like it needed to be...ended...**

**Xx should she kiss Squid. SHOULD SHE?**

**i think she should**

**and if YOU think so too, then stay tuned ;)**


	6. One boy's dream is one girl's nightmare

**heh heh heh the true feeling of dear ol' Alex...**

**i don't own anything except alex blah blah blah **

**enjoy**

**S**

**Q**

**U**

**I**

**D**

* * *

"Hex," said an annoyed voice. "Hex, for god's sake, wake the hell up!"

"Normally, I wouldn't say waking up is hell, but when I stand corrected when I awake in a tent that smells like socks," I said, rubbing my eyes from sleep-fog. Wow. A snappy comment five seconds after I wake up. A World record.

"Will you shut up?"

"I hardly said anything, and why'd you wake me up if you don't want me to talk—"

"You were talking in your sleep!" I recognized X-Ray. I panicked and sat up in my cot, sweat breaking out.

"What did I say?" I asked hurriedly, brushing a lock of hair out of my face.

X-Ray smirked and didn't hesitate to embarrass me. "I quote. 'I wanna kiss him'. Over and over."

Uh-oh...

"I have a vogue feeling that you didn't wake me up because you couldn't sleep..." I groaned, beginning to feel my stiff back cringe at the up right position I was in. Digging would be hell...

But digging wasn't my biggest problem right now.

"Right" X-Ray said. "Now, who's Mr. Lucky Lips?"

I snorted. "Oh yeah, I'm really going to tell you. What time is it?" I asked, expecting Zigzag to answer.

"Time to tell us," Armpit chimed in.

"3:58," replied Zigzag promptly. I got up, grabbed my clothes and walked out the door.

"Where are you going?" called Magnet.

"Getting dressed. Whoever follows gets to dig with a broken arm," I called back and headed for a shower stall.

I changed, cringing at my sore muscles. God, I hurt everywhere. Literally from my hair roots to the tips of my toenails, I was hurting, and the last thing I wanted to do was dig while being mircowaved.

After changing, I sat down in the stall and sighed. I knew they were talking about me. Better to just let them get as much out as they could, so I wouldn't have to listen to it.

I counted as high has I could until I got bored and got up and headed for the tent. I snuck quietly. I wanted to hear it, as hypocritical as that was.

"Dude, it's so me," said Armpit. _Uh, yeah right._

"I bet it's me. She did draw me twice," Bragged Magnet.

"No. No. No. All you fools are so wrong. It was me." Said X-Ray.

"I hope it's not me. She could want to murder me. Then feed me to her witch clan." Zigzag. Who _else_ would have said that?

"I wonder if it's me," pondered a voice. A voice, that made my breath catch in my throat and made my heart skip a few beats. Squid.

Magnet laughed. "If she kisses you, she'll get poked with your toothpick—ow! Don't throw that at me!"

"Shut up then" growled Squid.

They argued like this until I walked in. Then they began talking about shovel production in New Mexico. How original.

I took a seat on my cot, humming random bars to my favorite songs as the others got dressed. I sighed and leaned against the wall. I hurt so much. I felt so much worse than yesterday.

"I feel like shit," I grumbled, lying in my cot. The others laughed. "Stop laughing. It feels like... a hangover," I grumbled, "except I'm sore. Like, super sore"

"Well, second holes the hardest," said Magnet as he pulled on his left shoe. I glanced at him, then shrugged and put on my own footwear.

Too soon the horn blared, too soon my breakfast swished in my belly, and too soon I was holding a shovel. Every move made hurt like hell, and I almost fainted.

But I didn't. I was big girl. I could do anything.

So I rammed my shovel into a crack, and, even though my back and my knees and my joints all screamed at me to drop dead and roll into a hole, began to dig. Oh the agony of digging. Who knew it could become such a horrible torture in a matter of hours? I scowled as I unearthed a dirt clod and stared expectantly at the glow in the distance that would soon evolve into a death ray. I really despised the sun.

The whole time I was digging, I was lost in memories as I adjusted to my pattern of dig, scoop, toss.

_My lungs burned for oxygen as my fathers hand held me under the water. I needed to breathe and fast. I struggled wildly to get above water, but I was only slapped on my back. It stung, since I had sunburn back there from yesterday._

_ "If you're not going to wash your hair, let me do it for you!" he screamed as he slammed my head against the side of the sink._

_ 'But daddy' I wanted to say. 'You never gave me soap' but I couldn't. All I got was a stream of bubbles._

_ "You good for nothing son of a bitch," he screamed. I began crying, my tears being lost in the water._

_ "You're two! Two year olds don't cry!" he bellowed, apparently hearing my chocking sobs as they gave up in bubbles, smashing my head against the bottom of the skin. The water became a watery red as my blood seeped through my cut skin._

xxxxxxxxxx

_ I wandered through the streets. It was the only time of day I remotely enjoyed. All my cuts scabbed over, and my bruised didn't throb as much. My mom was passed out on the couch, and my dad was somewhere. I had an itching feeling that she left for good this time. Good. I didn't care._

_ I wandered to the town cemetery. I scanned for Cassandra Barlow on the grave stones, until I found it. It was in the corner, and it was shabby and poorly done, since my parents had no money to get a decent package. I sat beside her, idly pulling out grass and talking._

_ "You're lucky you're dead," I sighed. "You should see the way they treat me, Cassy. It's horrible. But then again, you probably know. I mean, that's how you died."_

_ I looked at her grave as if it would begin talking back. When it didn't, I got up, patted it gently, and walked off, in search of something edible to eat._

xxxxxxxxx

_ I held Cassandra in my hands, hiding her away from my mom, who was throwing beer bottles all over the place, ranting on and on about something my five year old brain couldn't understand._

_ "It's okay," I whispered to her softly, humming a song into her ear. She wouldn't stop her bawling. She screamed until my mom, frizzy haired and sunken features, turned to glare at us with blood shot eyes. _

_ "Shut that turd up!" she slurred, throwing a bottle our way. I yelped and instinctively ducked. It shattered over Cassandra._

_ And it did shut her up. For good._

xxxxxxxxx

_ I sat on the couch, clutching my sketch book and doodling little figures on the pages. It was my only pass time that made me happy and didn't physically or emotionally hurt me. I drew me. I was frowning at first, but then I changed that to a smile as I drew my mom, who resembled a fifties house wife, holding hands with my dad with one arm and holding my baby sister in her other arm. I smiled and sniffed._

_ My mother came up and slapped the back of my head. "Idiot," she hissed and pulled out a tack. "You stole my pincushion," _

_ It was the only toy I had._

_ "Well, now you can be my pincushion," she roared as she began poking tacks into my skin. I cried out as the most nightmarish of pains seared up my arm as blood oozed out from under them. She stuck in about a dozen more before she got bored and staggered to grab a smoke outside. She swam in my tears as I watched her go, then I glanced at my arm. A dozen bloody wounds dotted it, deep on my skin._

_ I slowly plucked them out, grinding my teeth as I felt more pain throb through me. Several of the wounds pulsed blood, and I watched it erupt out. Why was it pulsing? I watched it questionably, and then began sucking on the wound, hoping the pain would go away soon._

The memories hurt, but it helped me dig. It distracted me from the heat, as much as it shredded my heart. The only thing I could feel, besides heartache, was the occasional canteen to my lips as I subconsciously took sips of water and my finger as I wiped away the occasional tear.

After a while I was aware of a soft ringing, and as I was slowly drug into consciousness, it made out to sound like my name.

"Hex."

My mother's face dissolved into Squid's, and the couch and house dissolved into a dried up lake bed. I blinked and it all came flooding back to me. I was at Camp Green Lake, digging until I pass out.

"Hex," he said again. "The water truck's here,"

I looked at my canteen. It was empty. I jumped out of my hole and got in the back of the line.

I kept my head down, not wanting Mr. Sir to see my puffy eyes. He filled my canteen without a word and I continued to dig.

My body was looser than this morning, I noticed happily. I wasn't as tense, but I still hurt a lot. I just wanted to go home, so I began to daydream of a home to go to.

_I walked, hand in hand with Squid, up to the door of my freshly painted, greener-than-green-lawned house and smiled at him._

_ "Here's where I live," I chirped as I opened the door. My 'mother' stood in the entryway, holding a fresh baked pie. _

_ "Here my sweet darlings," she handed us a slice, and we gobbled it up eagerly, licking our lips of apple._

_ Suddenly and bursting with cheeriness, my dad popped in, kissing my mom tenderly then kissing me on the cheek._

_ "You have her home by ten, you hear?" he said in a mockingly stern voice to Squid._

_ "Dad..." I mumbled, smiling._

_ Perfect. So, so perfect._

I sighed, and continued digging, reliving that dream over and over in my head. But that's all it was. A dream.

Just a dream.

Because here I was, digging in the scorching heat, my muscles the sorest they've ever been in a long time, and I was dying of thirst. I took a swig from my canteen and shoved my shovel in the dirt and continued my rhythm.

But instead of Dig, Scoop, Toss, my lyrics to my never ending song became Just. A. Dream.

Just. A. Dream.

Just. A. Dream.

Just. A. Dream.

Just. A—

I was interrupted by a poke. "What?"

It was Squid.

"The water truck came again, but you didn't come. Here's your lunch and water." He handed me my canteen and a sack.

"Thanks," I mumbled, embarrassed that I hadn't heard my name being called. I had memories of my mother and father screaming my name and winced.

"Um... are you okay? You're crying."

"Dude, I'm fine!" I snapped. "It's just the heat. Don't bother me."

I dug my shovel into the dirt.

I wanted to be finished. When I glanced down I saw that it was four feet, but only in the middle. Once again the sides were sloped. I began to smooth out the sides, muttering my chant as I went along.

I pulled another dirt clod out and put it on my pile. I realized, in my zoning, I had made my pile way to close to the edge. I didn't want it falling in, so I sighed and began moving it further away from my hole.

I growled as some dirt fell into my hole. I just stared at it, not wanting to go in and shovel it out again and continued to move my dirt.

It was long and tiring, but my dream helped. Though I knew the words of my digging chant were more reliable, and wouldn't crush my heart.

Just. A. Dream.

Just. A. Dream.

Just. A. Dream.

Just. A. Dream.

I dug my shovel into the dirt.

* * *

**i know not the best ending but it needs to be like that strikes dramatic pose**

**and again, its short. sorry about that. i promise the next on will be longer, and if its not, then let me me...uh... get a thousand pounds of ice cream.**

**x.x**

**thats for Squid.**

**oh, btw, in chapt 4, i said it was chapt five, but im too lazy to delete the document and refresh it and change it yada yada yada so yea sorry :D**


	7. Even Zero can add up to something

**ok seventh chappie is UP!!**

**and u kno what would be so random? if i made her runaway with Armpit. lol.**

**ok so enjoy!**

* * *

I finished my hole, again the last one to leave the site. I guessed I would be the last one for a long time. I sighed and climbed out of my hole, wishing I hadn't told Stanley to leave without me. I felt so alone as I glanced around the desert.

Well, not entirely alone.

I saw a tarantula crawl slowly and stealthily a few yards away. Curiously, I stepped closer. It didn't seem to mind. I bent down to look at it closely. It paused in my shadow, probably enjoying the shade.

"Lucky ass," I muttered as it continued to rest, "I wish I had a giant person to shade _me_,"

Oh god. I've gone crazy. I'm talking to an overgrown fuzz ball.

"Why am I talking to you?" I asked it. "You're a spider."

"Um, Hex?"

At first, I thought the spider was talking back to me. I screamed and fell backwards into the dust. "It talks!"

I heard a laugh. "It's not the spider talking, Hex,"

I looked up to see Squid. I smiled weakly, feeling highly embarrassed. "Hi..." I managed to say as I got up and dusted off my clothes. "What are you doing here?"

"We thought you got lost," he said simply.

"Uh, why...?"

"Because you didn't come back with Caveman this time."

I scowled. "Do I have to come back with someone? I think I can find my own way back,"

"Yeah, well, I'm not too sure about that when you're talking to tarantulas..." He watched the spider crawl into a nearby hole.

I smacked him. "Shut up,"

He laughed. "Not like I blame you. Heat can do that to you,"

"Whatever. Let's just go," I said, heading toward where I thought the camp was. Squid followed.

"Today's our day with Mom." He said.

"Our what?"

"We do this group thing. It's never fun, but its better than digging,"

"Everything's better than digging," I groaned.

He laughed. "You get used to it,"

"I hope,"

We reached the camp, and I drug my worn out body to the shower, not bothering to put my shovel away. I just discarded it out side the stall and stepped in.

The refreshingly cold water serenaded me, once again, in contentment. I sighed and let it pour all over my hot and sore body. I relaxed my muscles and washed away the red dirt, making my skin once again white. I was in pure bliss, until it shut off, and I had to face the outside world again.

I got dressed and stepped out into the sun, which greedily evaporated any left over droplets on my skin that my towel didn't pick up. I was dry in almost an instant.

I wasn't sure of what to do next. I wanted to go to the tent, but there wasn't anything to do there. I could go to the Wreck room, but I wasn't sure of I could handle all the attention right now.

So I went to the Mess hall.

Now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure _why_ I went. It wasn't that good of a plan. It smelled like vomit and it was almost hotter in there than it was outside, since there was no ventilation. But it was something different to do.

I walked in, and I was surprised to see X-Ray, who was stirring something in a pot. "Hey, Hex! Come to join me?" he winked. He was lucky I was too tired to throw something at him. But there wasn't really anything to throw, anyways. Of course I still had my fist...

"What are you making?" I asked, not really caring. I sat down at a near-by table and laid my head down on the wood.

"I never really know," he laughed.

I laughed too. "Is this, like, your kitchen duty or something?"

He nodded. "Yup. Sucks doesn't it? I mean, I already have to eat it, must I cook it as well?" he shook his head and continued stirring. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Well, I didn't want to go to the tent or the Wreck room. This was the only place left," I explained, though I knew that didn't make much sense.

I sat in silence as X-Ray stirred the mush in the giant rusted pot. I really didn't know what to say. I just laid there, watching the little camp activity out the only window in the building.

"You okay?" asked X-Ray.

Wow. He was actually showing sympathy. "Fine," I muttered hoarsely.

A few minutes passed before X-Ray abruptly left.

"Where are you going?" I managed to ask.

"I'm finished 'baking'" he said. "I'm going to play pool,"

As much as I resented X-Ray, I didn't want to be alone. "Let me come," I got up and staggered over to him. He smirked and led me to the Wreck room. Oh great, did he think I liked him now? Fat chance. I should have stayed in the mess hall and waited for dinner.

I followed him inside and to the pool table. Magnet and Squid were in the middle of a game. I knew it would be only a matter of minutes before Squid won.

I was right. Magnet was cursing in Spanish and Squid was smirking and spinning his toothpick around in his mouth.

"Re-match!" I declared, grabbing the stick from Magnet. "You're going down," I told Squid as I gathered the balls from the pockets, keeping a special eye out for any dismembered fingers, as Zigzag had warned.

But, sadly, I lost. Again.

I stood there, grinding my teeth and watching Squid gloat. He turned to me and said "You know, you're my only worthy opponent. These other losers can't even play," he grinned.

"Hey!" Magnet shoved him.

I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. _If Las Vegas thought _I_ was bad..._ I glanced at Squid as he racked up the balls and sighed. The whole losing thing was depressing me. I sat down on the nearby chair and watched the game, pulling stuffing out of a little hole as I did so.

About an hour passed in this manner before the dinner bell rang. Groaning, I got up and followed the rest of the boys toward the mess hall, where I would be food poisoned against my will, and once I got there I was not disappointed. Well, I was, but at least I knew what was going to happen to me. I made a face and got in line to get my food and take my seat beside D-Tent.

I took a bite and looked at X-Ray disgustedly. "Nice cooking, X,"

"Hey man I don't know what the hell they put in this shit! I just s'posed to stir it!" he sounded offended.

"Yeah, whatever," I took another reluctant bite. "So, what's this group dealie Squid told me about?" I said between bites.

"Oh, just something Mom makes us do, to take control of our lives or something like that," Explained Armpit as he took a bite of bread. "It's really lame,"

"I bet it is," I mused, looking down at my 'meal' on my plate. It reeked and was an unappetizing brown color. "Do you think this is..." I suggested.

X-Ray and several others pushed their tray away. "Thanks a lot. Now I'm not hungry anymore."

I shrugged and looked back down at it. It seemed to be saying 'hi'.

"Hi," I said back. Oh great. First tarantulas now this?

Squid noticed too. "Hey, Hex. Any tarantulas in there?"

I scowled up at him. "Heat, remember? I'm delusional, which means I'm dangerous. You don't mock a dangerous person." I informed him as I took another bite.

Squid explained the story to the other six campers. "She was talking to a tarantula today when I found her. Then, when I said something, she screamed and fell backwards 'cause she thought it talked to her," The others howled with laughter. I blushed and shot Squid a death look. He wasn't going to have a pleasant morning tomorrow

Magnet looked curiously at me. "Why _were_ you talking to a tarantula?"

Zigzag spoke for the first time. "Because it was probably talking to her first."

The others laughed and looked at me. "Did it? Did it talk to you first?" Asked X-Ray.

"No. It was a lucky ass for letting me shade it. So I told it that," I had no clue why we were having this conversation, or how it even started. Oh yeah. Squid. Like I said before, not a pleasant morning.

I bit into my bread again, finishing it, and took my tray to dump it in the trash. Soon afterwards, D-Tent followed suit and we left to go back to the tent. Mr. Pendanski was waiting for us. As if they had done this before, the boys sat in a circle and looked at him expectantly.

"Welcome, everyone!" he smiled. "I hope we've welcomed Alex this week," he looked at me. Oh god, will the embarrassment _ever_ end?

"It's Hex," X-Ray jumped in.

Mr. Pendanski looked at me, his eyebrows raised. "Oh, is it? You're Hex now, huh? Are you _cool_ now, _Hex_, now that you've got a nickname?"

I rolled my eyes inwardly. "I try my best," I said, trying to mimic his fake-y grin. It hurt my cheeks.

Mr. Pendanski sighed. "Well, today, _Alex_, we're going to talk about what's important about our lives. Do you know something important in your life?" Great. It was just like pre-school.

"Nourishment. You know... real food? Ever heard of it?" The other boys snickered.

Mr. Pendanski looked at me, anger flashing in his eyes. "Yes, but have you? If you did you wouldn't be so skinny,"

The comment caught me off guard. Memories flooded into my brain.

"_You don't need food."_

_"Stop stealing, you good for nothing loser"_

_"Get out of my life, fat ass."_

_"If you take one more bottle of wine, I swear I'll kill you."_

I looked at the shocked faces around me at Mr. Pendanski's outburst.

"That's cold Mom," whispered Armpit.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Magnet.

"No, it's okay," I laughed, leaning back on my cot. "Anyone would look skinny compared to him,"

The others looked at me and laughed. Mr. Pendanski blushed and shook his head. "If you took my example, you would make a better person in this world."

"What example? Here you sit with a wad of sunscreen on your nose, telling a bunch of juvies how to live their lives."

Mr. Pendanski looked like he wanted to eat me. I smirked at him and watched as he went from boy to boy on "what's in important in his life" until he finished with Caveman and reached Zero. He didn't say anything, just looked at him and glared.

"You're gunna have to talk sooner or later, Zero," I wondered if Zero was his real name, or if he didn't _have_ a real name. I watched him with wide eyes as he just stared Mr. Pendanski down. He was sitting with Stanley on one side, but other then that he was alone. At the end. Zero.

I thought about that. Zero was the most productive one. He could dig the fastest hole, he was a lot smarter than the rest of them (according to Stanley), and didn't cause trouble. Yet they still called him Zero. Was it because he couldn't talk? If people poked fun at me all day, then I wouldn't talk either. I felt empathy tug at my heart, but I just watched as Mr. Pendanski snapped at Zero with insults and complaints. Unlike with me, the boys weren't defending him. Some were even smiling at Mr. Pendanski's jokes. I glanced at Zigzag, remembering what he said. _D-tent sticks together_ but even he wasn't saying anything.

If he won't, than who will?

"Hey, mom," I said angrily in the middle of another one of Mr. Pendanski's prods. "You know Zeros better than you right? I wouldn't be poking fun if I were you,"

All the boys looked up at me, shocked. Mr. Pendanski smiled. "_Better _than me, Alex? Zero's no better than a Yellow Spotted Lizard."

"Can a Yellow Spotted Lizard do math?" I asked slowly. "Can a Yellow Spotted Lizard dig hole as fast as he can? Can a Yellow Spotted Lizard be as polite or as nice as he can be? Just because he doesn't talk doesn't give you the right to make fun of him" I was nearly screaming by now. I was standing up, Mr. Pendanski cowering below me. The boys were watching me with shock and Stanley was smiling. Zero did nothing, but I could tell there was gratitude behind his chocolate eyes.

I glared at Mr. Pendanski and reached over to grab my sketch book. "Here," I opened to the page where Zero was the hero and shoved it at him, watching his face study the page and change from a fearful expression to one of disgust.

"This is nothing Alex," he murmured as he closed the book. "Zero will never be a hero,"

It took extreme strength to control beating up Mr. Pendanski at that very moment. My nostrils flared and my eyes narrowed.

"He already is," I whispered, barley audible. "You just are too blind to see it," I looked over at Zero, who now had a small smile on his lips. I smiled back and looked at Mr. Pendanski. "You mess with Zero, you mess with me."

After a moment of silence, Stanley spoke up. "Me too. Zero's my friend," he said, a little afraid but still looking Mr. Pendanski in the eye.

"Me too," said Magnet, standing up.

"And me," said Armpit. One by one the rest of D-Tent stood up to Mr. Pendanski until he was surrounded. He looked downright afraid at all these boys (and girls) who had the muscles of digging ganging up against him.

"F-fine," he stuttered, hurrying out of the tent.

I smiled in triumph. Finally I did something right. It felt good.

The other boys cheered and laughed from behind me. Except Zero. He looked at me and smiled, but his eyes said "Why?"

"Because," I explained to them, "D-Tent sticks together,"

xxx

Over the next few days D-Tent slowly thawed to the idea of accepting Zero. First it was smiles, then it was "hi" and "Sup, Zero?", then after a while he was included in more conversations and jokes and games of pool. He still kept quiet and hung with Stanley most of the time, but I could tell he was a lot happier than before.

And when the other tents would pick on him every so often, D-Tent would be right there. We were there to defend him from Mr. Pendanski and the Warden and even Mr. Sir, who picked on him more than we thought. We kept him under our wing for a few weeks until the rest of the camp got the message: Zero was loved.

I sat in the tent, thinking about what I did. It was a good thing, and I still got praise from D-Tent for it. I never got praise form anyone before. It felt nice.

Suddenly, Zero walked in. I waved. "Hey Zero!"

He smiled. "Hi," he murmured, still not comfortable talking at a normal level.

"Sup?" I asked, wanting to strike conversation.

He shrugged. "Nothing much. Just digging," he grinned at me. I laughed.

"Ah, me too," I sighed. "Dig it oh oh oh dig it," I sang loudly. Zero watched me with a 'you're crazy' look plastered on his face. I laughed.

"You know, even though were stuck here, its not so bad," I leaned back on my cot. "Life can be pretty sweet sometimes,"

Zero said nothing, but I could tell he agreed by the way he smiled.

* * *

**ok sorry for the short chapter, but once again, it felt like it needed to be...ended.**

**hope all you Zero fans out there enjoyed the chapter. And i hope all you non Zero fans enjoyed it as well. I hope everyone enjoyed it!**


	8. D stands for Desperado Delinquents

**alrighty. i kno i've promised a kiss, and you will get one. be patient.**

**thanks to my reviewers. Im so glad you liked it. Special shout out to the black panther, HermioneandMarcus and smallncrazy91. you guys made me smile and force myself to keep going. **

**and you'll notice that the beginning is similar to a certain scene in "Stanley Yelnats's Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake" lol i was reading that book and im like "Why not?" sooo... here i am.**

**ENJOY!!**

**:D**

* * *

I reached down to pick up my canteen to take a drink, but to my horror i saw droplets seep out the bottom, and a giant wet spot on the dirt. My canteen had a hole in it. I looked warily at the remains of the water. I only had half left.  
"Holy shit" i screamed, putting my finger on the hole to keep it from leaking anymore.  
"What?" Stanley stopped digging and looked over at me.  
"My fucking canteen is leaking" i growled, inspecting the hole. Stanley smiled.  
"Stomp on it, to smash it up," he explained. I looked at him curiously.  
"I need to stop the leak, not make more," i rolled my eyes.  
His smile faded. "Drink the water first. The warden knows you can't dig without a canteen. she'll give you a new one,"  
"Oh," i began guzzling my water. it felt to drink it all at once, not sparingly, like i did everyday. I gulped it down to the last drop and then dropped it to my feet, were i began stomping on it with my boot, making growling noises as i did so.  
"What the hell?" X-Ray asked, coming over to my hole.  
"It had a leak," i said as the rest of D-Tent gathered to watch me smash my canteen. Apparently it was very entertaining.  
"So, this stops the leak," Magnet grinned at me. I stuck out my tongue.  
"No, this is so i get a new canteen," i muttered as i picked up the flattened piece of plastic with my thumb and forefinger.  
"Oh," he said as he followed the rest back to their holes. I sighed and waited for the water truck to come. it was a long wait, since it just left a few minutes ago.  
"Want some water?" asked Squid, from the left side of me. I widened my eyes mockingly.  
"You're giving me some of your precious water?"  
He nodded. "Sure. I mean, the water truck isn't coming for a while,"  
I shook my head. "I just drowned like half of mine just now, so I'll take some when I'm thirstier, okay?"  
"Sure, okay," Squid agreed as he got out of his hole. "I'm finished anyway," he spat in it.  
"Lucky ass" i muttered as i began to dig. "Let me have your water then,"  
"Sure whatever," he tossed me his canteen to me and i finished the remains eagerly. I tossed it back and watched him walk away. "Don't talk to strange tarantulas," he called. The remainder of D-Tent laughed.  
"Man, shut up," i hissed as i scooped up a dirt clod and shoveled it on my growing pile. One by one i watched D-Tent spit in their holes until I finally finished and only Stanley was left. He got out and walked over to me.  
"You wanna walk back with me?" he asked.  
I grinned. "Sure," i said, climbing out of my hole and joining him by his side. He rolled his eyes and we began walking toward the camp. I then realized a tragic affair. I was as slow a digger as Stanley. I widened my eyes and looked at him as he shuffled along the desert ground.  
I didn't want to hurt his feelings, yet i didn't want to continue walking in awkward silence, so i said "How did you know what to do with my canteen?" i held up the new one Mr. Sir gave me on the last water run.  
"I sort of made up a survival guide, and i have that in there," he blushed.  
"Hey thats cool. I'll have to read it, if i wanna get out of here alive..." i glanced at the pairs of staring eyes and sighed.  
Stanley laughed. "I didn't really write it out yet, i just thought of it and took notes on my stationary," he glanced at me, embarrassed, i assumed of his stationary.  
I shook my head. "Dude, just be lucky you have people to write to"  
Stanley looked at me questionably but didn't say anything otherwise besides "Okay,"  
I stepped past him on my way to the shower. He followed me. I grinned and stepped aside. "Ladies first," i gestured for him to get in. He sighed, shaking his head.  
"Nah, you go first," he offered. I shook my head and shoved him into the stall.  
"No... you," i smirked and slammed the stall shut. Stanley chuckled and then i heard the shower start. I leaned against the stall, softly whistling a random tune and glaring at the boys staring at me as they walked by.  
Stanley finished his shower and walked out on a towel. I looked away, blushing slightly. He laughed and headed for the tent. I sighed and got in the shower stall, starting in and for once, didn't notice the cold water. I was more used to the heat and dirt, and just hummed softly as the water fell around me, washing away the brown and making me white again. Mind you, it was still the best part of the day.  
I sighed as the shower shut off and reached absentmindedly to grab my towel and clothes. I touched the side of the wall and felt around for them. Nothing. I looked up and saw it wasn't there. Oh shit. I left it outside.  
I pulled myself up and peered over the side of the stall. I saw a lot of boys but, being me with my luck, no D-tenter to hand me my things. i hissed and lowered myself, thinking about what to do, but came up with nothing. I could wait for a D-Tenter, but that might take a while. But of course, if i went missing, they might come looking for me.  
Or maybe, just maybe, one of those guys out there has maybe even a speck of class and would hand me my things without any funny business.  
Yeah, right.  
I leaned against the stall, sighing. Good thing i was one of the last ones to take a shower. Now no one will bang on the door telling me to hurry up.  
I began counting to keep myself busy, and i got to 379 before i heard a voice calling out my name.  
"Hex? Hex you out here?" It sounded like Magnet. I pulled myself up so my head showed over the stall.  
"Magnet! Thank god," i called. He turned and looked over at me and smiled.  
"Why you still in there, chica?" he asked.  
"Er... well, i left my trowel and stuff out there, and i was waiting for someone from D-Tent to come by and give it to me..." i smiled, embarrassed.  
Magnet laughed and grabbed the pile of clothes sitting on the ground, tossing it to me.  
"Hey thanks man," i said, pulling them on and stepping out.  
"No problem. Squid was freaking out," he rolled his eyes. "He thought you got raped,"  
I widened my eyes. "Wow... okay," i managed to utter before hurrying to the wreck room. Magnet trailed behind me.  
I walked in and did my best to drown out the sleazy stares and winks. i learned to be grateful that at least it wasn't catcalls and hoots like it was when i first got here.  
"Hey, D-Tent," i greeted, walking up to the pool table.  
"Sup, Hex? Man, you should have seen Squidly over here, He was totally freaking out, thought you got raped" X-Ray laughed and shook his head. Squid blushed.  
"Did you really? Where would i get raped? The shower stall?" i laughed and patted his back.  
"Well, you _were_ stuck in there..." Magnet suggested.  
Squid looked at me, shocked. "Really? how?"  
I scowled. "Well, i stupidly forgot to bring in my clothes, and no one nice enough was around to give them to me without trying something funny, and so what was i supposed to do? Strut around naked?" i asked sarcastically. They were supposed to say no, but instead the boys grinned at me, raising their eyebrows.  
"You sick freaks!" i slapped the nearest body: Squid. He laughed and slapped me back.  
"Hey Squid," i said, twirling my hair with what i hoped was innocence. "Care to rematch me in pool?"  
He scoffed. "Like you'll win,"  
"Bring it, boy," i said, snatching the spare stick laying off to the side. Squid snickered and gathered up the balls.  
"You first," he gestured toward the table. I nodded and took my shot. Two balls sunk. Yes. I smirked and took my shot again. One ball, but then when i shot again i scratched.  
"Damn" i hissed as Squid took his shot. Three balls. Grr...  
We played for a while without much action until i finally sunk the eight ball. I whooped and beamed at Squid. He made a face and said "i let you win"  
"Yeah right. If you let me win, you wouldn't tell me you let me win," I pointed out. Squid shook his head.  
"You're a worthy opponent, Squidward, and I'm on a roll today. I bet you can play me again and beat me, become the champion again" i said, not wanting to hurt his feelings. Squid laughed.  
"How about we share the title?" he offered, just as the dinner bell rang in the distance.  
I nodded. "Agreed," we shook hands and headed for the mess hall, two dangerous pool sharks, side by side.

If the blaring of the wake-up horn didn't wake a camper the next morning, the screaming and the cheering of her fellow camper would have. I rubbed my eyes and yawned, the sounds not registering in my brain yet, until i got up and peered outside. A familiar A-Tenter was jumping around, hollering things like farewell and goodbye.  
X-Ray joined my side, watching the celebration. "It's Tank's last day," he sighed and pulled of his shirt and lingered for a few seconds, watching for my reaction.  
"Hes lucky. And put a shirt on, you freak. I'm not going to stoop to your level and drool, okay?" i snapped.  
"So you admit I'm drool-able?" he smiled.  
"Yeah, sure, whatever," i was watching Tank jump about and wasn't thinking about what i said. X-Ray grinned and turned to share this new information with the rest of the tent.  
"Hey Hex said i was sexy!" shouted X-Ray. I snapped my head around.  
"No i didn't," i said. "I was watching Tank and i wasn't listening. Hes so lucky," i sighed and sat on my cot. "Does he have to dig today?"  
"Yeah, but what can they do to him if he doesn't?" Armpit pulled on his orange suit.  
"Okay, i'm changing," i announced. "shield your virgin eyes" The boys looked at me curiously.  
"Im too lazy to go into the showers today" i grinned.  
"Oh that sucks, Amiga, 'cause we ain't going to look away for you," said Magnet.  
"Pervs," i muttered as i pulled off my shirt. I wasn't lazy, i just didn't want to go near Tank. He looked like the perverted type. Changing in front of D-Tent wasn't nearly as bad as what i could be doing.  
The boys stared as i looked around for another shirt. Well, all of them except Stanley, Zero and Squid. Those guys had class.  
I grabbed my freshly washed white tee-shirt and pulled it on. It smelled like cheap soap. All to familiar. I sighed and sat on my cot, pulling on my socks and then my shoes.  
"I'm good," i called to the three turned boys. "Thanks for being _classy_," i said, glaring at the others.  
"You saw me shirtless," said X-Ray. "Now its my turn,"  
I growled and smacked him. Stupid X-Ray.  
"Be nice, X," said Squid. My hero. I smiled.  
"Yeah, X, be nice," i sniffed and got up to hug Squid, a bold move by me. "Be like Squid," i looked up at him and grinned. He grinned back.  
X-Ray shook his head. "You know, Hex, we're still trying to figure out who you want to kiss,"  
Ah! Bad memories. I glared at X-Ray. Clearly he was trying to get back at me. "Shut up." brilliant comeback, Alex. Brilliant.  
The boys were looking at me. I shifted my eyes back and fourth nervously. Was it me, or were they closing in?  
"Tell us, Hex..." Magnet said, stepping closer.  
Were they this desperate?  
I gulped and looked as someone walked in the tent. Mr. Pendanski. For once, i was grateful to see him.  
"Time to dig, boys...er and girls." Mr Pendanski said. I ducked out under X-Ray and Armpit and popped up in front of him.  
"Ready," i grinned.  
He looked at me, sighed and walked out. I glanced nervously at the surrounding boys and ran out of the tent. They followed with curious looks and questioning glances.  
Stupid X-Ray. Why did he have to remind them of my obnoxious sleep-talking?  
Zigzag tapped my shoulder. "I wont stop tapping you until you tell us," he was dead serious with that unblinking stare of his. I shivered.  
I guess they _were_ that desperate.

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**heh heh heh see where the title ties in? lol **

**review!**

**i love zigzag.**

**erm, sorry :D  
**


	9. Headaches and heartbreaks

**Ok sorry for not updating. I had writers block, but please tell me if where im going with Squid and Alex is okay... i wasn't too sure. so... yeah just tell me plz :-)**

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**9**

I scooped up a pile of dirt just as Zigzag tapped me, for the seventeen-billionth time that day. I turned around and glared at him. It was getting pretty annoying.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" I asked, rather curiously. I mean, I _did_ want to know why. It's not like it was a big deal. I glanced around at all the boys, digging and muttering stuff under their breath. I looked down at myself. Maybe it was a big deal. I was the only female in a group of territorial males. I would not be claimed quietly.

_Claimed_? What was I? Food? I scowled at looked at Zigzag. He still didn't answer my question, even though I answered myself. I shook my head and continued digging, ignoring his presence as best I could while thinking angrily to myself.

_They were fine until X-Ray reminded them. X-Ray, my official public enemy number one. _I glared over at him, digging and acting as if he hadn't just maimed my peace and privacy. _He is a home wrecker! I should rebel! _I thought as I jabbed my blade into the dirt.

_Wait a sec, how would I do that? _I furrowed my brow as I thought about this. It's not like the other boys would join me. Hell, they're the ones helping out with his dirty, home-wrecking work. _His minions..._

I chuckled at that last thought. The boys looked up at me and watched me dig anxiously. This was getting old. I narrowed my eyes but otherwise continuing to dig.

I thought of ways to get the attention away from me. This feeling of being stared at was all too familiar, and I was less and thrilled.

I couldn't think of any ways at all to get things back to normal. So I just decided to keep digging and get my hole done.

It was harder when seven other boys were watching your every move.

XX

I didn't want to face the staring eyes in the Wreck room (I guess word spread quickly here. Now the whole camp knew) so I headed for the tent, hoping no one would be in there.

I groaned inwardly as I saw the last face I least wanted to see: Squid. Well, actually, X-Ray was the last face, but Squid was pretty bad too. He was the cause of this whole mess, and he didn't even know it.

I looked away from him and sat on my cot. I tried not to look at him for as long as I could, but after reciting the alphabet backwards six times, I began to get bored. I looked over at him and realized he was looking at his shoes, his shoulder shaking violently.

"Squid," I asked slowly. "You okay?"

He jumped and looked up. His eyes were red and puffy. There were wet streaks running down his dirty face. He had been crying.

"Hex, I...I didn't know you c-came in," he sniffed and looked away, wiping his eyes.

"Why are you crying?" I got up and moved over to his cot and sat beside him. He flinched when I put my hand on his back, but didn't shrug it off.

"Allergies," was his lame excuse.

I rolled my eyes. "Squidly, I'm not as stupid as I look," That made him laugh, and I beamed. "But seriously, tell me what's wrong,"

He was silent for a long time. I was just about to leave and give him his space before he answered. "My...my mom," it came out as just a little more than a whisper. I strained to listen to his story.

"My mom... was a shitty mom. She...never fed me, and... And she never told me she loved me. I got hit a lot. I have bruises and scars that I'm scared will never go away,"

Déjà vu. Oh no, why was I feeling déjà vu? This is bad.

He gave me several examples if abuse from his mother. "One time she forced me to sleep outside. Well, more than once. Several times. And once I was so thirsty I drank all her beer. She got so mad she smashed all the bottles on me," he chocked out a sob as he continued. "I ate her cocaine once because I was starving. I wouldn't stop puking, and my mom wouldn't stop hitting me as I puked. It was hell. I was so jealous of our neighbor. He had a perfect life. A mom that loved him. A dad that didn't leave... him..." He began crying again. I just stared blankly as he calmed himself down and continued.

"I don't remember a time where she did love me. She never hugged or kissed me or anything. She was a drunk, and a little bit of a stoner. I was lucky if I only got a few beatings in the day, and if I managed to get food. I usually had to steal it, but at least I was fed, you know?" he glanced at me and wiped a tear. "No, you don't. You probably don't know—"

"Actually, I do," I interrupted. "It was like that with me too. You know, abusive parents," I managed to sigh without starting to cry myself. "I ran away at nine. Haven't seen my parents since. But I know how you feel, Squid..." I was on the verge of sobbing, so I just sat there, holding in the tears like a weak dam holding in an entire ocean, clutching my knees and watching Squid's face swim in my watering eyes.

Squid looked at me in astonishment. "R-really?" he chocked, wiping away another tear. I nodded, looking away.

"God, all I want is to be hugged. You know, just once?" he sighed. "You know, I can't believe I'm telling you of all people, but when you hugged me, I felt like...oh God I felt like I was loved. I could only imagine what it would be like if my mom could do that," he gazed off, tears streaming down his face.

"I know. When I was smaller, she stabbed me several times with tacks because I took her pincushion to play with. And she killed...my...l-little sister" the dam broke. Tears flooded my face and I buried it in my knees, too scared to face Squid. I could feel his gaze on the back of my head. He just patted my back sympathetically. After I managed to control myself, I continued. "She was drunk, and she threw a bottle at her. It...killed...her," it took all my strength to keep myself calm. I took a long, shuttering sigh.

Squid just looked at me with empathetic eyes. "I know how that feels. My dad left when I was only three or four. He just left us—me—to fend for myself." He murmured. "Each day I broke into a different house just to get my food. Sometimes, just to make her happy, I stole my mom some smokes, but she never cared. She just screamed at me." He looked down at his feet, clearly hiding fresh tears.

"So, you love your mom?" I asked, curious. It seemed like he did, if he desired his mother's love that much. Unlike me, he needed that motherly affection. I learned early on in my life I wasn't getting any from my own mother, and I learned how to fend for myself without it.

But I guess Squid could fend too if he could steal food from people's houses.

"I don't know. I _want_ to; I feel like if I don't, I'm a bad person. I mean, she's my _mom._" he took a breath. "She gave me life." He looked straight ahead, as if he was watching his life on a screen only he could see. "But it's not like I wanted it,"

I looked at him, angry. "Squid. You're not a bad person. Just because your mom is your mom, doesn't mean you have to love her. I don't love my parents, and I could care less if they're splattered across the highway right now. And don't you dare tell me you want to die," I hissed at him. "Just because your mom was a screwed-over drunk, doesn't mean you're not loved,"

Oops. Shouldn't have said that.

But I managed to save myself before he could break past the tears and comprehend that statement. "Everyone in D-Tent loves you. You're like family to them!" I pointed out hastily, hoping he didn't catch on to my mistake.

He sniffed and looked at me and smiled. "Thanks, Hex. I'm glad my story could have some happy spots in it."

I grinned, the tears slowly sinking back into my body. "It always turns out okay. Life can be such a shit ball, dripping in suckiness, like our past lives, but whatever. We can deal. We're D-Tenters,"

Squid sighed, memories swimming in the tears coating his eyes. He reached over on the other side of him and grabbed his octopus. I stared at it as he stroked it gently.

"This was from my dad...before...he...he" he managed to get out between his silent sobs. I grimaced and watched him handle the creature with tender care. I leaned over and hugged him. It was the only thing I could think of. I caught him by surprised and he dropped the toy in his lap. After a minute, he hugged me back. I could feel drops running down my back. I sucked in, not wanting to cry in front of him. One of us had to stay calm for both of our sakes.

I pat his back and let go. When I saw his face again, he was smiling. I smiled back.

"Thanks" he managed to choke out before picking up his octopus again. I watched him in silence, wiping away tears.

We sat for a while, Squid using his cloth on his hat to clean his face up a little. I got up to go to my cot and draw in my sketch book until the rest of the boys came in.

"Hey, Hex. Squid," X-Ray greeted as he flopped down on his own cot, oblivious to what had just happened a few minutes ago. "What you drawin'?"

I looked up at him, then back at my paper. I wasn't sure until X-Ray brought my attention to it. I realized it was the sun above Camp Green Lake, crying on the campers. They were dancing in the much appreciated 'rain'. I turned my paper and showed X-Ray and the rest of the boys who peered at it curiously.

"Hey nice drawing, chica," Magnet noted as he took it from my hand. I sighed as the drawing was passed around from boy to boy. It was colored in faded shades, to make it depressing, and that's what it was making me feel like. Sad. Depressed. The list went on and on.

Well, the _drawing_ wasn't. That was merely an expression of how Squid's story made me feel. I sat back in my bunk and watched blankly as the guys nodded in approval and handed it back to me.

"Thanks," I muttered. I failed to notice how they were staring at me with the same intense curiosity as they were this morning, and I failed to wonder if they figured out the 'puzzle' yet. I was too wrapped up in my depressing thoughts to give a damn. I just rolled over on my side and attempted to dream pleasantly.

I failed at that, too.

XX

I had a dream that the sun I drew stopped crying, and the campers had to beg for more water to be poured on their sore, dry bodies. But the sun wasn't listening. It was in a drunken rage. People had to dodge away from strewn objects.

In the end, everyone ended up dying. Either by thirst or by being smashed with a beer bottle.

XX

I woke up with a jolt and a throbbing headache. I felt wetness under my eyes and put my fingers to it, wiping the tear away. Then I noticed everyone was surrounding my cot. I groaned. Not this again. I put my hand to my head, trying to ease the pulsing that pained me with every second. Wow, I didn't know dreams could physically hurt!

"You're just like Squid," muttered X-Ray.

"What...?" I asked, massaging my temple and yawning

X-Ray shook his head and muttered something. "You were crying in your sleep," he said louder. "Like Squid over here." I saw Squid was standing rigidly and emotionless. I glared at X-Ray. Insensitive and annoying. That's two strikes against him.

"What time is it?" I asked Zigzag, who told me it was 2:08. I sighed and fell back in my cot, much to my regret. My headache raged into more waves of pain. "I'm sorry if I woke you up. I had a bad dream," That was true, wasn't it? I wasn't lying. I wasn't _fully_ lying, that is. I slowly sat up to meet their gazes, trying to keep my migraine at bay and my intense warning strong.

The boys looked at me with disbelief before going back to their cots. I watched them do so before laying back into my own cot. I watched Squid sit in his, clutching his plush toy and trying real hard not to cry. I frowned and studying him for a little bit. He didn't move a muscle until the horn blared after two and a half hours. I plugged my ears. I felt like my skull was going to shatter.

I remembered what Squid said about his mom, and tried to push away the pain stabbing at my heart at my own memories. How could someone treat someone like Squid like that? I didn't exaggerate when I muttered "evil" under my breath as I got dressed in the shower stall.

But then again, my life was no different. I hadn't really thought about it before, but were my parents evil as well?

I nodded to myself. Most defiantly.

.x . x.

Zigzag tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, nearly hitting him with the shovel. Serves him right, the frizzy haired bastard. Well, X-Ray was the bastard, but still.

"What?" I asked him angrily, even though I knew very well 'what'.

I continued to dig as Zigzag stood there, glaring at me.

"I'm not telling!" I nearly yelled at him as I scooped up another shovel-full of dirt. All of D-Tent was watching me now. I glared at them, color rising to my cheeks an making them hot.

"Stupid boys," I muttered as I dumped my shovel's content on my pile. "Stupid, Stupid, Bastards," I began chanting to myself as I dug, scooped, and tossed. It became my new rhythm, and the remainder of the tent stared at me in amusement and confusion.

I stopped digging and leaned on the side of my almost complete hole. My headache was slowly dying as the day progressed, but it was still pulsing and making me take more and longer brakes. I slid down until I was out of sight. I didn't want to be watched anymore. I wondered if they knew I was cracking or if they knew I might tell them soon...

I slowly shook my head, trying to avoid pain. No way. If they wanted to know, then... then they'd have to stop staring at me twenty-four seven, for starters. I peered out of my hole and watched as Magnet, Zigzag and Caveman dug. Zigzag was nearly done, probably only a few more scoops to go...

I was right. Only mere seconds passed before he climbed out, measured and spat. I watched him walk away, grateful that I'd be free of taps for a while, and then glanced at Magnet and Stanley. I knew I wouldn't get much trouble from Stanley, and Magnet wouldn't be _too_ pestering. I shrugged and picked up my shovel.

I whispered my digging song to myself as I finished up my hole. I looked around and saw Magnet still digging along side Stanley. I watched him curiously. He should have been done by now.

Stanley noticed this too. He kept glancing up and down as he dug, until finally he asked him why he was still digging.

Magnet glanced at me before whispering to him "I hope the chica picks me," he glanced at me to make sure I wouldn't be infuriated by his comment.

I wasn't. It was better than getting tapped.

Magnet looked at me before continuing his slowed pace. I thought about what he had said. This issue had progressed from "who she _wants_ to kiss" to "who she _will_ kiss". This would be fun to deal with. Whoopee.

Now angry, I dumped my dirt in Magnet's hole. He mumbled something in Spanish before saying "You got some major mood swings, chica." He shook his head and continued to dig, a little bit faster than he was going before.

And so Magnet dug faster and finished his hole. I was next in line to get done, but I decided to wait for Stanley, since he was so nice enough to wait for me before. He looked up at me with squinted eyes as I stepped over his hole, and then looked back down as he dug. I sat down, cross-legged on the dirt.

"Hi," I said

He looked up at me. "Uh, hey," he smiled.

I grinned. "You almost done, slow poke?" I asked.

He sighed and dumped a shovel-full of dirt on his pile. "Almost,"

I sat there, whistling random tunes as I watched him dig. "Tell me," I asked slowly. He stopped digging. "Are you curious?"

He played dumb. "Curious about what?"

I sighed. "You know what," I growled lowly.

He watched me for a long time before answering. "Yeah, a lot," he blushed.

I shook my head. "Ya think ya know a guy," I smiled at him. I liked Stanley. But not in the love-y way. More like... a brother. Or a best friend. He _would_ make a good best friend, come to think of it...

"Everyone is dying to know," he informed me.

I shrugged. "I guess that's natural,"

Stanley continued digging until after a while he finished. He climbed out of his hole, measured it and spat. We began walking toward the compound in silence.

"So..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as we reached the Wreck room. "How's life?"

"Dirty," I replied, looking down at myself. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll catch ya later." I headed for the showers, making extra sure that my things were where they belonged so I wouldn't be trapped again.

After I was finished cleansing myself, I headed for the tent. Only Zigzag and Squid were there, quietly talking on Zigzag's cot. They looked up, then back down and lowered their whispers to barely audible murmurs. I rolled my eyes and sat on my cot, staring at my toenails. I guess that's all I could do, right? Stare at my toenails until someone decides to _talk_ to me, for God's sake.

Ah, but I'd have to wait a little longer. Zigzag left and soon was followed by Squid. Squid, who was the evil, beautiful trouble-maker that started this whole fiasco.

I looked over at the now empty cot, and saw a small, wooden box. Curious, I got up to get a closer look. It said "Sunny Hill Toothpicks" in red paint on the side. I grinned and reached down to pick it up, dumping about ten out and jamming them into my mouth. Ooh, they were flavored, too!

I wasn't too sure about why I was doing this. Maybe revenge on Squid? But it's not like he knew exactly _what_ he was doing. Maybe to playfully distract the guys? Or maybe because I needed a distraction myself. Sure. Why not?

And to make a good distraction, you need more people. More people would be in the Wreck room, correct? I smiled as I pushed through the door and headed for the pool table.

Armpit saw me first. "What the...?"

I grinned. "I found Squid's tooth pick stash..."

Squid jerked around. "What?" he asked, but then set eye on my mouth. He shook his head. "I'm guessing that there's none left, right?"

I shrugged. "You shouldn't leave your stuff out. By the way, love your choice in flavors. Mint, yum yum!" I twisted the toothpicks in my mouth.

But I guess the strength of the flavor and the action of the room called back my migraine. I furrowed my brow at the sudden pounding and slowly backed toward the chair. I slowly sat down and lied my head down on the arm and groaned.

"You okay, Hex?" Asked Magnet, concern weaving in his voice.

I moaned and shook my head. I closed my eyes and buried my face in the couch. The boys whispered lowly. I managed to look up.

"I'm okay, I just have a headache," I put my face back into the surrounding vinyl and moaned softly. I could feel the stares on me, but I failed to care. I just wanted the pounding to stop. It felt like Mr. Sir was whacking my skull with a shovel.

"Stop...Stop hitting me..." I muttered without considering what i was saying. Which was understandable, since migraines made even _thinking_ hurt.

"No ones hitting you, chica," Magnet said softly.

"It feels like it" I turned over to look up at him and smiled. He looked confused, but then he shrugged and continued the game.

I fell asleep soon after that. I knew I fell asleep because I woke up to people softly shaking me. I groaned and rolled over.

"Hex, it's dinner time," said a voice. I tried to get up, but I was too tired and too weak, so instead I just moaned and lay in blackness, not bothering to give effort to show that I was alive.

Suddenly, I felt something ease under my back, and lift me into the air. I didn't protest. I just lay limp in the figure's arms until I felt my scratchy and smelly cot underneath me as I was gently put down.

"You probably shouldn't eat dinner right now," said the voice. I strained to open my eyes to see Squid smiling down at me.

"Thanks," I whispered hoarsely.

"You're welcome," he said. "You want me to bring back food?"

I blinked and sighed. "No, I think I'm okay," I put my hand up to my pounding head and rubbed it vigorously, as if that would dissolve the pain. "But Squid?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Will you kiss me?"

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**REVIEW PLZ!!**


	10. And Squid lived unhappily ever after

**ah, thanks to all who reviews. It is you, generous people, that make the world go round. too bad there r so few of you.**

**ah-kay so anyway, glad i dont have any flames yet. PLEASE DO NOT BE THE FIRST TO FLAME!! unlike Ziggy, i don't like flames... and call me naive, but what the hell is a Marysue? i mean, i only made this account a little while ago, so idk much Fanfiction 'slang'. please tell me. i might give you a hug.  
**

**oh, you'll notice, IF you watch Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (:D) that i have a Will Smith line in there. if u can spot it, you get...um... another hug!**

**enjoy this chapter please, but sorry its so short. i think i developed a bad habit of making them short :D  
**

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Squids face looked like someone who just won the lottery. First, his eyes looked blank, as if he didn't comprehend what had just been said. Then, he went speechless, opening his mouth to speak, but then closing it. Then, finally, he grinned widely after he realized that it was all real.

"Really?" he asked. "Do you..._want_ me to?"he began shuffling around on his feet.

"I wouldn't have asked you otherwise," I rolled my eyes. He smiled at me.

"Okay," he whispered.

Then he bent down, and kissed me. It was one of those long kisses, like the ones you see in one of those sissy Disney movies: It didn't have much action, but still left the girl glowing. I felt myself start to glow the minute our lips touched.

But, like my showers, it ended much too soon. I felt a tinge of sadness when he pulled away, but then he whispered in my ear.

"I think I'll live happily ever after,"

I sighed. Was he that naive? Or was he just trying to make me happy? Either way, I knew that statement wasn't in the least bit true. We would still have to leave camp, probably never see each other again, and face the rest of society with a bad reputation lingering with us like a bad stench that never went away... and...and...

"Alright" I murmured. He was still in my face, and my thoughts clouded up and melted together, until they were wrapped up in nothing else besides his face, his voice and the kiss.

He smirked and stood up.

"I'm going to dinner," he said as he turned to leave the tent. I wanted to protest that he stay here, but two simple facts were stopping me. The boys would come back eventually and put two and two together, and I still had a headache. Being alone was best right now.

"Okay," I said, trying not to stumble over my words. Despite what I had expected—which was a feeling of awkwardness—there was none what so ever. I was still glowing and Squid was still smiling. He left the tent, and I sat there stupidly clutching my thin blanket to my chest, replaying the scene over and over in my head, like I actually _was _watching a kissing scene from a Disney movie. I didn't want the memory to escape my mind. I tried to hold as tight to it as I was to my blanket.

Then a horrible thought interrupted my fantasizing. Would he tell the other boys? Shit. That would be bad. Avoiding that mess was worth the throbbing pain of a headache. I sat up as fast as I could without the pain getting out of hand.

I stumbled out of the tent, jerking my hand up to my pounding head every few moments, but otherwise kept walking. I looked up toward the mess hall. It seemed miles away from where I was standing. I gulped and tried to keep steady as I began treading those many miles.

_Maybe it's not worth it _I thought. _If we were going to tell them, he probably already did it by now. _I glanced up at the Mess hall. I was already half way there, might as well go anyway.

I looked a little to the left at the Warden's cabin. I shuttered. I hadn't seen her since Zigzag's barfing 'incident', and if I didn't see her for the rest of my sentence, I could care less. She seemed to have forgotten all about being nice to me and began becoming a rare sight, only showing herself whenever a camper found something or got in trouble.

Since I was wrapped up in thoughts and wasn't watching were I was going, I stumbled over my own feet and fell face down into the dirt.

I didn't get up.

I just lied there, thinking. I had screwed up my life, big time. Why did I have to start stealing? Why did I have to start beating random people up? I knew better. I couldn't just blame my mom for this one. This was all my fault. I could have gone to the police like a good girl would. But I wasn't a good girl, because good girls didn't go to juvenile correction facilities. Now I was stuck here, in this shitty camp digging shitty holes for a shitty woman. _And_ I was laying face down in the dirt.

And why was I laying face down in the dirt? Because I was too busy looking at the house of the shitty woman who wants shitty holes dug in a shitty camp.

And why I was I outside in the first place? Oh right, Squid. I sighed, which aroused the dirt and made my face even dirtier. I pushed myself up, and felt the pulsing of a fresh bruise on my already pounding head. Lovely. I wiped away the dirt on my face, put my palm up as to sooth my head and continued walking, this time without distracting thoughts or looking away from my path. I didn't want a matching bruise nest to the first.

I finally reached the Mess hall in once piece, thank God. I staggered over to the boys and the surprised face of Squid. Everyone looked generally normal, so I guessed Squid hadn't told them. Yet. I would have smiled if I wasn't in such a shitty mood from tripping. Actually, I was in a shitty mood before I tripped. Hell, I was in a shitty mood since I was born. But I guess falling made me snap. If one person said the wrong thing, I would burst and begin hitting something. Or someone.

"Hey Hex, Squid said you wouldn't make it," said Magnet, smiling and gesturing me over. As I got closer, the boys' looks went from happy to surprise.

"Hey, why are you all dirty and bruised up?" asked Stanley, concerned.

"I fell," I said curtly, stumbling over to my table and sitting down. I laid my head in my crossed arms, avoiding all eye contact. I just stared at the shadows my head cast on the wood, ignoring anything being said to me. My eyes flickered up to Squid. He was watching me with a half-smile on his lips. I smiled back, but then avoided his gaze once more.

Suddenly, the moaning and hissing of a car—a bus—made me look up. My ears were right. A dirtied yellow school bus was parked outside the Mess Hall. I saw a smirking boy with dirty blonde hair climb down the steps with the guard close behind him. He was met my Mr. Sir and drug into the office.

"Vacancies don't last long at Camp Green Lake," muttered Armpit as he, too, watched the boy. In fact, everyone was watching him, not just me and Armpit.

But, after a while, I lost interest of watching A-Tent's councilor show him around. I lied my head back down and focused on my heads shadow.

I heard the door open in the Mess Hall and A-Tent's councilor's obnoxious voice instructing the boy about meal time. I peeked out from under my hair at the boy, who was now standing beside me.

"Man that dude has long hair," he muttered as he passed.

"I'm not a dude!" I screamed. That was it. That was the wrong thing said at the wrong time. I twisted around to glare at him but fell out of my chair onto the ground, at the boy's feet.

He looked down at me. "A girl," He sounded cocky as he said it. I looked up to glare at him. "You must be pretty tough to get in an all boys camp," he licked his lips. "Or are you here for enjoyment purposes only?"

I got up, staggering a bit before looking him in the eye. The whole camp was watching us. Again, the feeling of Déjà vu returned. I sighed and looked away. The boy laughed.

"Am I too much for you?" he taunted.

I took a deep breath. Apparently the councilor was not going to help me, and everyone was too speechless to do anything either. I took another deep breath. I didn't want to punch the boy. Well, actually, I did, really bad. But I knew I shouldn't. I remembered what I had said to myself as I lay there in the dirt. I didn't want to screw myself deeper.

But, this would be classified as self-defense, right? I glanced around at the motionless, staring people. Oh, don't all rush to my aid at once! I bit my lip as I reared back my fist and punched him in the jaw as hard as I could. I heard a delightfully sickening crack and he fell backwards, blood gushing out of his face like a spring. He howled in pain and clutched his jaw. Councilors rushed to _his_ aid. I guess the motto in this situation is "No blood, no foul".

I had just fowled.

My opponent hadn't.

_He_ was the innocent one.

_I_ wasn't.

People, am I the only one who sees something terribly wrong with that?

Based on the sour looks I was getting from the councilors, I was. I sighed and went to sit back at the D-Tent table. They all grinned at me and raised they're hands to high five me or congratulate me. I just smiled weakly and laid my head back on the table.

I couldn't control myself.

I was screwed deeper.

Why hadn't this worked out how _I_ wanted it? Why? Why did the new kid have to show up? Why did he have to taunt me? And why... why am I blaming the new kid? Even though he was awful, I was the one who punched him, right? I listened, half delighted, half guiltily, to the boy moan and shriek as he councilors drug him to the Warden. So, why did I have to punch him? Why couldn't I have just... done something else?

I sighed in indecision as I got up. "Look, im already in enough trouble. I'll be lucky if the Warden keeps me alive. So, I'm going to go back to the tent," I didn't bother to listen to replies of my fellow table-mates. I just ran out of there as fast as I could and into the tent, were I fell on my cot. I didn't want to move.

_You idiot! _My head screamed. _That was probably the stupidest thing you've ever done! Now the Warden, the councilors, that boy and probably all of A-Tent will resent you. You just made...one...two...thirteen people on your bad side, you fool! _

I grumbled at that number and rolled over in my cot. _At least D-Tent respects me more _I tried to keep my thoughts hopeful. But it was no use, I was pretty screwed up at the moment, and my anger at myself and my pulsing bruise weren't exactly being a big help.

I was just wallowing in a pile of suckiness today. Wasn't I a lucky ass?

Then I found myself wishing an obscure thing: _I wish I was a tarantula._ It was a retarded thing to want, but how could things get any worse right now?

Damn. You're never supposed to say things like that! Because as soon as you do, something bad happens.

"Hex...?"

Like now for instance.

I looked up, expecting to see the Warden, but instead I saw Squid. I breathed a sigh of relief. I would stay alive. For awhile.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you okay? You ran pretty fast back there." He sat down on the edge of my cot. I just nodded, not wanting to talk much, afraid I'd snap. Again.

"They're not _too_ mad," he said, trying to make me feel better.

"Yeah, but they _are_ mad," I spat.

"The Warden didn't care much," he informed me. "When she came, the only thing she was annoyed about was the fact that he wouldn't be digging. She didn't even care who did it,"

I smiled. _One down, twelve more to go._

"Good," I said curtly, but not too curtly, because Squid was being nice right now. "Did you tell them...about..." I trailed off, feeling embarrassed bringing the kiss up.

He shook his head and grinned. "I wont tell them about this, either," he leaned down and kissed me, this time with more action, like a French movie rather than a Disney movie. Damn, if I wasn't glowing by then I was downright sparkling.

Suddenly, Magnet and X-Ray walked in. Luckily Squid had pulled away as soon as he heard their footsteps out side.

"Hex feels sick," he lied. Yeah, sick was the last thing _I_ was feeling, I'll tell you that. I nodded weakly, trying my best to act.

X-Ray shook his head in sympathy. "Sorry 'bout that, Hex," he said, oblivious, again, to Squid's and my exchange. Magnet nodded at us as he sat down on his cot. They were soon followed by the rest of the boys. Squid glanced at me before going to his own cot. I rolled over, groaned for effect, and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the troubles of the day would soon dissolve into the blackness of sleep.

But, when sleep wouldn't come, I decided to shoot the breeze, which is the next best thing, I guess. "Does anyone know the new kids name?"

"Nick," A few boys replied in unison.

"Huh," I said, not really caring.

"Man that was pretty sick, Hex," said Armpit, laughing. "You hit him hard! Warden said you must've broken his jaw!" a few boys snickered. I couldn't even help but smile at that.

I felt someone watching me. I looked at Zero. He was staring at me, his eyes wide. He seemed a little afraid.

"Don't fear me!" I cried out, not thinking. The boys looked anxiously over at me. Zero got what I meant, though. He smiled and rolled over to face the tent wall.

He was an odd one, alright. But he was a good kid.

I then looked over at Squid, who was now staring at the ceiling of the tent while everyone was getting situated for bed.

I stepped over to him and sat on his bed. "Squid," I whispered so the others couldn't hear me. "You won't live happily ever after," I wanted to clear the air on that one. "We won't see each other again, and we still have to face an accusing society." I sighed and glanced over at the other boys, who brushed me off, unsuspecting of what I was saying.

Squid didn't give a notice to my presence until he looked over at me. I saw he was trying really hard not to try. The memories of his childhood were so clear I could almost see them playing in his tear filled eyes and feel them burning in his gaze.

"I know." He said hoarsely. "I know. Just when I get something good in my life, I have to leave it behind..."

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**aw. poor Squid. :-(**

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	11. September is the new December

**OMG. thats all i can say is omg. well, i can also say THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FRO REVIEWING! YOU ALLLLLLLLLLL GET HUGS! I LOVED READING THEM ALL! they made me smile :-) please continue to read. and. review.**

**but yeah, this chapter starts to look more like the book. muhwahahahaha **

**read on.**

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"It's December starting today,"

I heard Zigzag's voice, thought he wasn't talking to me. I think he was talking to the whole tent, or maybe he was talking to himself. I could never tell.

I sat up in bed and watched the boys get up and get dressed. December, eh? It didn't feel like December. Hell, it felt like the hottest July in ages. I sighed as I sat up in my bed, glancing around with half closed, tired eyes. Or maybe I was glaring. Either way, I hoped I wasn't approachable. I was in one of those moods where no matter what was said to me I would just scream and call the person a faggot.

I got up to get dressed, shooting death glares at anyone in my way.

"What's with Hex?" asked Stanley to someone from behind me. I whipped around to face him.

"You're lucky I'm not going to hit you," I said. I knew that line was overused. I was pretty sure every single girls-being-tougher-than-the-boys-and-showing-them-up-yada-yada-yada movie used that line. But whatever. I was also pretty sure these boys hadn't seen a movie, a _real_ movie, in a long time, and they really couldn't notice the worn-out script usage.

Stanley nodded wearily before backing up. I smiled. "Thank you," I said. He just nodded again, and walked out of the tent. I followed, as did the rest of the group, toward Mr. Sir to begin our lovely, fun-filled day.

He handed us each a Styrofoam bowl filled with stale cereal and sour milk. I took a few bites before dumping it in a near by hole. I wasn't hungry.

"Hey, if you weren't going to eat that, I would have!" I heard Squid say. I looked over at him, smiling jokingly at me. I scowled. Even Squid couldn't get me in a good mood right now.

My eyes were still half-closed. I was extremely tired; I only got four hours last night of actual sleep. I yawned and continued walking toward our digging sight. Same old, same old.

"Hex! Watch out!" I slowly turned my head toward the voice until I felt the ground disappear before me and I felt myself falling. I landed on my back with a satisfying _thud_.

"Ow," I said, though it didn't really hurt. I found myself starting to laugh. I just walked into a hole! Isn't that the funniest thing you've ever heard in your life? I began choking on my giggles as I looked up at the boys surrounding the top of the hole.

"I fell in" I said, grinning.

"Oh, God, she hit her head hard if she's laughing like that," Said Armpit, looking at me with concern. I stopped my hysterics and looked at him.

"I'm fine. I just fell in," I giggled and stood up, dusting my butt off before climbing out of the hole. It took me a minute or three to convince the boys I had not bruised my sanity, and we continued to our digging spot. I was in a much lighter mood. I didn't know what it was about falling into holes, but I was suddenly elated. I guess the boys were relieved also, since they weren't in danger of being hit with a shovel during a raging fit of anger.

For once, I was in a good mood.

"Like I said, major mood swings," grumbled Magnet.

I just shook my head, trying to keep my mood in one piece. _So it's December first, eh? _I thought. _That means I've been here for...thirty three days?_ I bit my lip. _Wow._

I continued on my rhythm. I had gotten increasable better at digging. My skin grew accustomed to the heat, and I actually grew muscles. Good, tough ones, too. I was so proud.

I subconsciously knew my high wouldn't last long. I knew sooner or later Squid would pop into mind, and I would be depressed all over again. Maybe I can block him out.

Arg. Too late.

I thought about Squid leaving. Never coming back. I mean, he was here several months before me. That means I'd be digging for several months alone, plus the fact that we'd be lost in society. Even _after_ camp, I wouldn't see him again. I wiped away sweat forming on my forehead and picked up my canteen to take a drink.

It did not feel like December.

I glanced around me. The hot sweaty bodies, the dull brown hues, the dust. The holes. It reminded me of September. September was a depressing month. Not because of school, but because everything died. The leaves, the plants, the spirit. Everything seemed broken and hollow as it roamed the vast emptiness that September had to offer, waiting for October to roam around, and life to continue on its sucky way. I made a face.

At least September was cold.

I looked at my hole. Almost done. I looked at the remaining campers. Well, actually camper. Stanley dumped a pile of dirt on is pile and sighed.

"If only if only," he hummed so soft I wasn't sure if I heard him.

"Stanley. Doesn't this remind you of September?" I asked, gesturing to the scenery with my arm. He looked out at it, then at me, then back out at it.

"Yeah, it kind of does," he smiled. "So... sad and depressing,"

"Very,"

We continued digging, until after a while, we finished around the same time. I climbed out, as did he, and we walked back to camp together. We didn't say much. What was there to say? Not much.

"Magnet was right," Stanley whispered after a while. "You have some major mood swings,"

I sighed. "It's just this September weather,"

Stanley grinned. "I can't wait for October,"

"Me too!"

We laughed all the way to the bank. I mean the showers. But trust me, if there was a bank around I would have laughed all the way to it, because—call me crazy—I want money more than I do a four minute shower. But a showers good, too. Don't get me wrong. It gets dirt off. And dirt was what I had a lot of at the moment.

And so I hopped in my non-bank shower stall and began my familiar ritual of cleansing myself, and when I was finished, I began the familiar ritual of walking to the wreck room, and opening the door, and going to the pool table.

Wasn't I an unpredictable stud muffin?

I leaned against the pool table, watching the game out of the corner of my eye but mostly watched the activity in the Wreck room. It was quiet, quieter than usual. Of course, most of the guys were looking in my direction, but, unlike most days, they didn't say anything at all. Just stared.

What? Did I have some big stain on my shirt? I looked down, and besides the usual dirt and grime, I looked fairly decent. I looked back up, raised my eyebrow at them. As if that was going to get me an explanation.

Then again, why was I complaining? I liked the quiet. I shrugged and turned toward the game, which, of course, Squid was winning.

"Do you guys know why it's so quiet?" I asked softy. Hey, I was _not_ going to be loud in a situation like this.

Stanley shrugged from the couch. "Like you said. September."

"September," I repeated, before grabbing a cue stick and awaiting my turn.

"But its December," Zigzag corrected.

"Yeah, well, it feels like September," I muttered as I took my shot.

"September's cold, dog," X-Ray told me, rolling his eyes.

"I know. Sounds wonderful right?" I laughed as I sunk my last ball and aimed for the eight ball. X-Ray watched nervously as it rolled slowly over to the corner pocket, and sighed as it fell in. I smirked, shoved the stick aside and leaned back on the couch. I noticed Zero and Caveman over on the other side, whispering and writing stuff on paper and Zero spelling words for him. _Okay..._

"Hey, Hex, wanna play me?" asked Squid as he grabbed the stick from X-Ray and racked the balls up. I shrugged. I wasn't in the best mood at the moment.

"Nah, I'm kind of worn out. I'll play ya later, okay?" I promised as I trudged for the tent. I looked around warily. The camp seemed deserted, until I heard foot steps behind me, but I didn't take notice. I was super tired. I didn't want to turn around to acknowledge the person, let alone start a conversation.

I pushed past the flap and fell on my cot, watching the door incase the footsteps belonged to a D-Tenter and they were following me back. And as if on cue, the flap pushed open.

But it wasn't a D-Tenter.

I gulped. It was Nick.

He literally had fire in his eyes as he made a grab for me. I yelped and dodged away, just barley missing his grasp.

"What's the matter, babe? Scared of little ol' me?" he grinned. I gulped and backed into a corner. Not my best move, now I was trapped. Nick crept closer to me, smirking and reaching for my shirt. I smacked his hand away.

"Go away," I said meekly.

"I like my babies fiery. Why don't you make more of an attempt than that?" he reached down toward my pants. I kicked him, but he only jumped away.

"Stop," I hissed.

"No. You know what you want," He leaned in, only inches from my face. I reached up my hand to punch him, but he grabbed my wrist, and then grabbed my other as I tried to pull away. He pushed me down.

"Get ready for the ride of your life," he murmured.

I shut my eyes tight, just wanting it to end as soon as possible. If I tried to get away, he just dug his nails into my wrist, cutting of my circulation.

But the weight suddenly lifted off of me. I opened my eyes to see Squid, holding Nick by the shirt and punching him were I punched him earlier, making Nick howl in agonizing pain. Squid shoved him into a cot, pressing his neck into the wood and his hands on his throat, nearly strangling him.

"Stay. Away. From. Her." He said so lowly that I had to strain to hear him. Nick face was beginning to go pale as he weakly nodded. Squid shoved him down, punched im a few more times before looking at me.

"Are you okay?"

Was I _okay_? Hell yeah I was okay! I looked at Nick, crawling for the door as fast as he could, then I leaned up to Squid, pressing my lips to his and letting them linger there for a minute. Squid pressed my head closer to him with is hand, and normally I would have pulled away, but hey, we're talking about _Squid_ here. I was _not_ about to pull away.

"Squid? Is she okay—" I heard someone enter the tent. "Holy shit..." I glanced over and saw X-Ray standing there along with D-Tent. As much as I didn't want to, I turned my head away at looked at them.

"Surprise,"

I saw several emotions play across each of their faces. Anger. Surprise. Disbelief. Jealousy. More anger. Oh yes, a lot of anger. Mainly from X-Ray.

Finally, after several moments of silence, Magnet finally spoke up.

"X, I'm guessing she's okay,"

I glanced over and saw Squid smiling, but just barely. He was mostly beet red. I guessed I was too.

"So..." Armpit said, after sitting on the cot. "You liked Squid all along?"

I blushed even more—if that was possible—and nodded. "Yeah,"

X-Ray took a big sigh, as if to calm himself down and punched Squid's arm. "Hey, Squidly's got himself a girlfriend now, eh?" I could hear the envy seeping into his voice.

Girlfriend? Was I his girlfriend?

Hey, I am _not_ complaining.

"I guess I do," Squid mumbled as he awkwardly put his arm around my shoulder, but I knew we were both thinking the same thing.

_It was not to last._

I guessed the boys got used to the idea of Squid and me. I was surprised. I guess they _did_ love Squid, if they didn't bother him about it.

Well, not _too_ much anyway.

But the rest of the camp was another story.

Once the word spread, everyone poked fun at Squid and made even more obnoxious catcalls to me. I did my best to ignore them, but it was pretty hard. Especially when they were up in your face.

For once, I was glad to be out digging the next day, but then I noticed something that made me mad. Zero began digging Stanley's hole a little while after lunch. That wasn't fair.

The other boys noticed too and called out things about Zero being a slave and how Stanley should get a whip. I just growled and eyed them enviously. That was so... mean. Mean to us and _especially_ to Zero. I climbed out of my hole and walked over.

"What's going on?" I questioned, my hand finding it's away to my hip. Zero didn't say anything as Stanley explained.

"I'm teaching Hector to read,"

_Hector? Who's Hector...?_ I glanced over at Zero. _Oh..._

"Its sort of a deal we made," he continued.

"A good deal for you,"

He sighed. "It was his idea, not mine,"

"Right. Well, when you're done being unfair to the rest of us, just tell Zero—I mean Hector that _I _can teach him to read. _Without_ working him to the bone." I muttered as I stalked off back to my hole. I heard Zero and Stanley whisper to each other, but I didn't care. I was still peeved.

"What did you say?" Asked X-Ray when I returned.

I grabbed my shovel. "I invited him for coffee and muffins after we dug. What did you think I said to him, you retard?" I growled as I jabbed my shovel into the dirt, but then felt bad. "Sorry for snapping. It just bothers me," I glanced up angrily as Zero continued to dig. And to think I actually liked Stanley. But he was enforcing slavery. Even if it _was_ Zero's idea, he should have actually let him go through with it!

So the rest of us finished after Zero and Stanley left the compound, but I was almost done anyways. I climbed out of my hole and headed for the camp. Stanley was going to get a piece of my mind.

"Hex!" Called Squid. I turned around to face him. Finally, someone who I liked!

"Hey, Squidly," I grinned. He grinned back.

"Walk with me back,"

I eyed him. "Like I was just going to leave you here,"

"You never know" We began heading for the camp, Squid a lot closer than he would have been otherwise. Our hands brushed several times before he finally intertwined our fingers and gripped tightly. I bit my lip, trying to hold back from smiling to widely.

"So what do you think of Zero digging Stanley's hole?" I asked.

"It's screwed up. He should dig his own hole, the sissy,"

"That's what I told him. Sort of. I mainly told him it was unfair to the rest of us,"

"That's the understatement of the year," Squid shook his head.

"Well I'm not as violent or rude as you'd like me to be," I rolled my eyes and smiled up at him.

"Ah, well, that's one of your perks."

"Lovely,"

We got to the camp and I took my shower, talking to Squid the whole time. Mostly about Stanley and how sooner or later he would get beat up. Mainly by Squid, but I would sure as hell be helping.

And so to carry out our little plan, we first had to find Stanley. He was all alone in the tent. Perfect, no witnesses.

"Yo Caveman," Said Squid, anger leaking into his voice. Stanley looked up from writing something. He knew what was coming. I could smell his fear.

Whoa. Was I all of a sudden some sort of major man-eating predator who terrorized on unjust juvies?

Ha. I wish.

Instead of roaring and diving for his flesh, I calmly stepped up to him. "You should probably stop digging half holes," I told him icily. "If the Warden doesn't get you, we will."

Stanley looked up at us wide eyes, but he didn't do anything to show he understood. Squid angrily stepped up to him.

"Got it?"

Stanley still didn't say anything. Squid reached out, but I stopped him. "Don't," I hissed. So he just glared and I pulled him outside. The dinner bell was ringing. This early? Oh well. I didn't know about Squid, but I was not in the mood to go attempt to poison myself.

"Let's go play pool," I suggested coolly.

"Hey, I can only play pool so long before I start to go crazy. How about we go for a walk instead?"

Unexpected, but not unwelcome. I nodded eagerly and we began walking, mostly out toward the wide expanse of lake. Squid grabbed my hand again, and I felt my spirits soar. Stanley and Zero were long gone out of my brain.

"Stars sure are pretty out here," he said. It wasn't even twilight yet, but since there were no city lights, the stars began shining brilliantly. I grinned.

"That's one great thing about Green Lake," I sighed dreamily as we walked further out.

"You know what another thing good about this place is?"

"What?" I asked, still gazing up at the stars.

"You." He turned my face toward his and kissed me softly.

The next few days continued in the same manner as before, except Zero continued to dig Stanley's hole for him, which was incredibly lame. I dug quietly and resentfully, as the others yelled at him most of the time, until lunch arrived and Zigzag headed for Stanley's hole, holding a cookie.

They began to pester him and jeer at him. Zigzag said something about Stanley letting dig his hole for him for his cookie. I just rolled my eyes as the other boys laughed.

I looked down, ignoring it until I heard a gasp and a choke. I looked up to see the boys pushing each other. Mr. Pendanski walked over to them.

"Nothing Mom," I heard X-Ray say. "We were just messing around."

I was the farthest away from the commotion. I strained to hear more.

"I saw what was going on. Go ahead, Stanley. Teach the bully a lesson," said Mr. Pendanski. I saw Stanley stare at him in horror and Zigzag smirk.

"Teach me a lesson, Caveman!" He teased, pushing Stanley back. Squid laughed. I scowled at him and got out of my hole.

Stanley made a pathetic attempt to hit Zigzag, which lead to Zigzag tackling him and rolling in the dust, a flurry of punches to his face and neck.

But then Zero jumped onto Zigzag, wrapping his arm around his long, thin neck, causing Zigzag to make gagging noises.

"Enough!" shouted Mr. Pendanski.

Zero continued to choke him, so Armpit grabbed his torso and yanked him off of the tall boy. They went sprawling in opposite directions.

Mr. Pendanski fired his gun into the air. I jumped at the sudden noise.

In less than two minutes, the councilors and the Warden were surrounding the digging site as the boys explained.

"My blood just... boiled," Said Zigzag, rubbing his neck. "It just bothered me to watch Caveman sit around while all of us dig in the hot sun. My blood boiled."

The Warden glared at him. "Excuse me?" she asked softly.

"Zero's been digging a part of Caveman's hole everyday," Squid stepped in. I shook my head, smiling slightly. Haha, Stanley! Sucks for you!

"Is this true?" She stepped over to Stanley, who was all battered up.

"I'm teaching him to read," He protested. "Doesn't that build character more than digging holes?"

"That's his character, now where's yours?"

Stanley shrugged one shoulder.

"No digging other peoples' holes, from now on. And no more reading lessons." She glared at Stanley.

"Why can't I teach him to read without him digging my hole?"

"Because it causes trouble," Mr. Pendanski jumped in. "Zero's too stupid to learn anything. The stress is what made his blood boil, not the hot sun"

Zero said nothing.

"We know you mean well, Stanley, but you might as well teach a shovel to read. It's got more brains than Zero. Hey, Zero, what does D-I-G spell?"

Zero took the shovel, stared at it, then whacked across Mr. Pendanski's face. His eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the ground. Then Zero began running. We all just watched in shock as his body turned into a little speck and then disappeared.

"Go Zero!" shouted Stanley at him. "Go! Run!"

The Warden glared at him angrily. "I still expect eight holes,"

We all looked at Stanley. He was on his own now. We continued to dig, not saying another word for the rest of the day. For once, we finished before he did.

Serves him right, the bastard.

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	12. Death at dawn!

**wow... honestly, i love you guys. Special shout out to September loves Falls, anya winchester, Confuzzled2011, and JainaZekk621 and everyone else who reviewed! I cant type all ur names, cuz...well i just can't.. but trust me when i say YOU. ALL. ROCK! **

**oh and btw i found out what a Marysue is :D i know i'm a dumb-ass. don't kill me.**

**but yes... to all of you Twitch lovers: HE HAS ARRIVED! buwahahahaha**

**ahem. so anyway. please read, review, and some other third thing. and fyi, i _DO_ have the whole ending planned out. I think u'd be surprised.**

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**ok. seriously. enjoy.**

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I watched as the all-to-familiar yellow bus pulled up in front of Mr. Sir's office. Whoever was in it was lucky they just missed dinner time.

_This is going to be just like last time _I thought bitterly. _Only this time he'll be in _my_ tent! _I clenched my fists together as I watched a small boy with brown hair and winter pale skin step off, glancing nervously all around him. He was twitching furiously.

I watched with narrowed eyes and he surveyed the camp, his fingers drumming on his thigh and his eyes shifting everywhere, not resting on one place for very long. Finally, the guard shoved him into Mr. Sir's office and I knew his life was downhill from there.

_Enjoy your sanity while you can, boy! _I wanted to call, but I didn't want to bring attention to myself just yet. I looked over at the D-Tent guys, clustered on one spot, talking.

"New guy," murmured X-Ray. "Very twitchy."

I see a nickname on the horizon.

"Yeah," agreed Zigzag, hesitantly. I could tell he was already suspicious of this kid.

The boys wondered what he did and what his name was. The basic stuff. I watched as the new kid stumbled out of the doorway, as if he was pushed. He wore the same orange jumpsuit, and with his skin he reminded me of an orange cream-cicle. I giggled, but then my throat closed up, like it always did when I craved something.

Oh great. I hoped I wouldn't resort in licking the new boy.

But he did look rather tasty...

Wonderful. Now I'm a cannibal.

I glanced as the boy walked over with Mr. Pendanski. Pretty much every muscle on his body moved. Except his mouth. He stayed silent as Mr. Pendanski gave his famous speech, and X-Ray gave his famous "Man, my name's not Rex" dealie. He explained to the boy, who we learned was named Brian, what our 'real' names were. I looked at Brain. Damn, he was short. And quiet. Ha! Another Zero! It will be like he never left! How clever is the government as to send us a replica of the afro-haired cutie? I will have to send them a letter of thanks.

"And this is Hex," I heard X-Ray's voice jolt me out of my thoughts. I smiled at Brian and waved.

"A girl...? Isn't this an all boys' camp?" He questioned Mr. Pendanski. Damn it! He does talk! And the first thing he just _had _to say was a question of my gender.

Oh pfft. He's just a Zero wanna-be. An impersonator. This is insane. And the government is _not_ getting their letter.

"Um, yeah, I don't know what they were thinking sending me here!" I spoke up, smiling. Brian smiled back at me and nodded. I could see sweat forming on his head, but I wasn't sure if it was from the heat or from my presence. I shrugged and walked toward the tent, gesturing for him to follow. "Its okay, Mom," I called over my shoulder. "We got it from here,"

We showed him around, and it wasn't long before X-Ray dubbed him 'Twitch'. Wasn't that suiting? I explained the rules and where the Wreck room was, and how the showers worked. Twitch nodded, his fingers drumming and his neck moving from side to side.

And, to my great disappointment, once Twitch got used to us, he began jabbering away about how he stole a car and how nice the car was and something else about a car. I wasn't listening. I was focusing on drawing Twitch to add to my collection.

I decided Twitch was a cartoon character. He had all the characteristics of a cartoon character: His hyper active energy, his constant fidgeting, and his wide eyes and pale skin. Perfect.

And so it was done. In a matter of moments, I had a colorful sketch of a cartoon Twitch in his convertible Mustang, speeding down the road and jamming out to some sort of music.

"Ha, Hex's at it again," said Magnet as he walked over. "You drawing Twitch?"

"You bet!" I chuckled and tossed the book to Twitch. "Knock yourself out,"

I glanced at Stanley. He was taking Zero's absence pretty badly. He was just leaning back in his cot and staring at the ceiling, trying really hard not to cry.

Aw man! Did I have to feel bad right this very _second_? I sighed, took my book back from Twitch, ignoring his compliments and walked over to Stanley.

"Look. He's gone, okay?" I mused. I knew this was harsh, but it was better than him dreaming. "Dead,"

He jerked his head over to me. "What if he's not though? What if he's crawling across the desert with all these sores and is all bloody and in desperate need of water?"

Thank you, Stanley Yelnats IV, for putting that lovely image into my brain. I sighed and shook my head in response to his ghastly question and went back to my cot. As if on cue, my very sensitive, compassionate tent-mates began talking about how Zero's eyeballs would be picked out first by buzzards, then lizards and tarantulas would feed on his rotting flesh.

Ah, what happened to rainbows and unicorns, people!?

I rolled over in my cot, trying to keep the horrific words out of my ears as I tried to lull myself to sleep. I wanted to dream about rainbows and unicorns, but instead I dreamt I was Zero, crawling across the desert and swatting away buzzards attacking my eyes and tarantulas attacking my rotting flesh. And what made it worse was I knew it was a dream, so I was waiting to wake up, but it took way longer than most dreams to be finished. It just drug on and on and on...until I was finally woken up by the loud screeching of the bugle.

I sat up in bed, yawning. I wondered how Twitch would react to the early hour. I looked over at his bed. He was already dressed and tying his shoe, acting as cheerful as can be. I made a face.

Cheerful people die at dawn. Well, at least around _here_ they do.

I grabbed my bag and stalked out the door towards the showers, where I changed into my freshly washed wardrobe. Ah, the enchanting scent of lemon-flavored Dawn. 'Cuts through grease' my ass! My clothes _still_ had a lingering sticky feeling, no matter how many gallons of soap they dumped on it. I made a disgusted face as I put my arms through the sleeves and zipped it up.

When I finished changing and I was heading toward the Library, I saw Mr. Sir talking to Twitch about how to dig his hole, and Twitch would not hold still for a second. Mr. Sir laughed.

"You won't be twitchin' like that after you're done diggin'," He chuckled and pointed us toward our digging spots. Twitch followed us, glancing around him and drumming his fingers on his shovel. X-Ray and Magnet laughed, and Squid shot me an amused glance. Zigzag was muttering things under his breath, and Armpit was shaking his head in pity. Stanley ignored us all, calling out to Zero with cupped hands.

I shook my head and stepped up to him. "Stanley. What do you think is actually going to happen? Do you really think Zero is actually going to call back 'what'?"

He shrugged. "You never know,"

When Mr. Sir came to give us water, I was surprised to be looking at the back of Magnet's head when I lined up, and not Stanley's. Where did he go?

I heard a car door slam and I looked up. The engine revved, but Mr. Sir wasn't the one driving. "Put it in gear!" I heard Twitch shout.

In a matter of seconds, the truck was mobile. I heard Stanley screaming from inside, and the rest of D-Tent cheering him on. Mr. Sir was chasing after him, screaming "You're dead, Yelnats!"

_I can't believe he _stole_ the water truck! _I thought in disbelief as I watched him swerve around as he drove toward the mountains, where Zero had run off to. I watched the back of the truck, until I saw it go flying into the air, the backend sticking straight up and water spilled out of the tank, running down the tilted vehicle.

He drove it into a hole, the dipwad!

"My truck!" Mr. Sir choked as he ran up toward the red pickup, then he yelled at the running figure of Stanley "You keep running! There won't be a Stanley Yelnats V!"

I just watched with wide eyes as he kept running, stumbling every once and a while until he was out of sight in the haze. That idiot didn't even fill his canteen first. He was a dead man for sure.

Ah, well, life goes on. I grabbed my shovel and continued to dig. The rest of the boys did the same, but they wouldn't shut up about how cool Stanley was or how Stanley had style. I mean, Stanley used to be probably the most hated scum of the camp, and now he was camper of the month because he stole a friggin' truck!

Hell, I was only mad 'cause I didn't think of it first...

After several failed attempts to back his truck out, Mr. Sir barked at us to help him get his truck out of the hole, and it took both C-Tent and E-Tent to help us out. It was pretty awesome; I mean I just lifted right out of there like it was as light as a feather. Actually, the _really_ awesome part was taking a drink out of the spigot by putting our mouth up to it and just gulping it down whenever we felt like it.

And of course, Mr. Sir being the Mr. Sir he was, said he wouldn't give us water for the rest of the day. I mean, c'mon, did he honestly expect us to not take advantage of that golden opportunity? How dumbassed was he? I gave him the finger as he got into his truck to drive away. Several of the others did too.

So we continued to dig, drinking our water is gingerly and as sparingly as we could. We couldn't waste a drop.

"So Hex," Squid started as we continued to dig. "I've been thinking,"

"What's the occasion?" I teased. He tossed his dirt at me. I shrieked and wiped it away.

"Well, remember when the Warden went psycho and made us dig where X-Ray supposedly found the gold tube?"

Oh yeah. _That._

A while ago, Stanley dug up a golden tube which I recognized as a lipstick tube right away. It had the initials K. B. etched in a small heart on the top, and for some retarded reason, he gave it to X-Ray, who gave it to Mom, who passed it on the Warden, who totally lost her marbles and made us dig around the surrounding area, like she was looking for something. But, wow Squid! That was a _long_ time ago!

"Dude, what the hell? That was so long ago." I told him as I shoveled my dirt onto my pile. "Why bring it up now?"

"Well, I don't think we're digging to build character,"

Oh good God. "Ooo, what tipped you off? The fact that she made us search every square inch of dirt after Stanley found the tube? Or perhaps she's only sugar-sweet to you when you find something worth her while?" I shook my head.

"No, I've been thinking about it for a while. I already know she's after something. I just don't know what." He explained.

"Buried treasure?" I teased.

He laughed. "Yeah right."

We were surprised to see Mr. Pendanski driving the truck toward our digging spot a few hours later. It had a huge dent on the side, and it drove rather slowly, but we didn't care. We were getting water! Wh-hoo!

We raced toward the tank of water in the back, waiting eagerly and gulping down the remains of our canteens. Mr. Pendanski got out, muttering something about dehydrating innocent children.

Ha. 'Innocent'. Good one, Mom!

We got our water and, oddly, our lunches. Mr. Pendanski told us that the truck was going to die any second, and he was just giving it to us now. He also gave us each an extra canteen full of water. Then he drove off. We all just shrugged and put our lunches aside, waiting for the proper time to eat.

I was surprised to hear someone singing "Dig it oh oh oh dig it," I looked toward the voice and saw Squid, digging along to the beat. I chuckled and joined in. Pretty soon, the whole tent was singing. Well, except Twitch, but when he caught on, he, too, was joining us.

"Yo the name is H-E-X" I sang as the song died down, thinking quickly for a verse to rhyme. "Don't mess with me, I'm not too complex," I saw some boys nodding to my beat.

"I can knock a guy down, or run him outta town. And say one word and you'll be next!" I practically screamed. The guys laughed and continued singing until Squid picked up a verse, smirking.

"Man, it's S-Q-U-I-D, you wanna try me, end up with an IV. Trust me, you poor you can't pay the fee. Try digging one hole then see me, boy!"

Hee hee.

The other boys went along with our little improv game, making up verses of their own. Brilliant ones, funny ones, and shitty ones. But it was all good fun. And you know what they say: _when you're singing, you dig faster!_ Well, something like that.

I looked down at my hole.

"Hey. I'm done!" I grinned and measured it, spat in it and hopped out. The guys looked down at their holes and laughed. "We almost went six feet," They said, before measuring, spitting and hopping of their own hole. We walked back together, laughing and poking fun at each others verses.

But then, somehow, conversation topic went from poking fun to buzzards poking eyeballs. Again! Luckily, we were just arriving at camp, so I raced toward the shower, hoping the cool water would wash away not just dirt, but memories of today. I shuddered, as if trying to shake them off of me as I stepped inside.

Well, the shower got the dirt away, but low and behold, I stupidly headed back toward the tent, oblivious toward the fact that the boys still managed to be interested in eyeballs. I made a face and sat down on my cot.

"Let's change the subject," I said. "Perhaps something cheerful. Rainbows? Ponies?" The boys looked at me, confused, but they didn't argue. Instead, they began talking about buzzards poking the eyeballs out of a pony. Okay, this was officially hopeless. I would have to do something about this myself.

"Hey Twitch! I bet you can't hold completely still for five minutes!" I challenged. Twitch looked up, glaring at me.

"I bet I can," He grinned.

"Ok lemme time," Said Zigzag. "Ready, set, go!" He began counting.

Twitch stiffened, determination burning in his eyes. But, Zigzag only got to seventy-three before Twitch got up and told us he couldn't do this anymore. Zigzag laughed.

"He didn't even last a minute!"

The others rolled their eyes and pushed him. Twitch sighed and began his twitching again. I thought about this. Twitch twitching was something you could rely on, like the sun rising and time continuing to tick on. Even if every moment burned and throbbed with pain, time went on, continuing it's life-long routine. Twitch not twitching could mean anything could happen. And not everything was good. Zigzag being sane, X-Ray without his glasses and his wry scheming. Squid without his toothpick. Magnet without his desire to steal. Armpit without his...armpit?

It would all lead to disaster.

I gulped and looked at Twitch, who was tapping his toe on the ground and glancing from side to side. "Keep on twitching!" I said nervously. Twitch looked at me, shrugged, and went back to tapping his toe.

The guys sighed and leaned back in their cots, obviously bored.

"I'm bored," said Magnet.

"Me too," I agreed. "But will you promise me something?" I asked them hopefully.

"Sure, anything," Said Squid. The others laughed and teased him about being the perfect boyfriend. I ignored them and continued.

"X-Ray, promise me you won't get contacts," X-Ray looked at me funny, but nodded. "Armpit, don't lose your...armpit," He widened his eyes.

"What the hell, Hex?" he asked.

"Promise!"

"Uh, I promise..."

"And Squid? Don't lose your toothpick."

"Yes ma'am," he saluted.

"Zigzag, don't lose your insanity."

Zigzag just stared at me. I tapped my fingers until he finally nodded solemnly.

"Magnet, never stop stealing things,"

Magnet laughed. "Sure, Hex,"

"And Twitch? Don't. Ever. Stop. Twitching!"

They all just stared at me.

"Are you okay? You need water or something?" asked Magnet.

"No, I'm good. Just keeping you boys in line," I grinned and I knew I looked even more insane. They all just slowly nodded, as if any quick movements would set me off again. I looked at Twitch.

"Promise me, okay?"

"Okay," he smiled.

I leaned on my pillow, contented, but not fully satisfied. The feeling wasn't the same without Zero and Stanley. It was like, something was wrong. As much as I really disliked Stanley, I was missing him. I sighed, but not loud enough for the boys to hear.

Secretly, I hoped he found Zero and they were still alive.

* * *

**Aw...Hex actually has a soul... and a conscience (i hope i spelled that right) she actually...CARES! le gasp  
**

**so... yeah. I'll try and update soon. and if u actually read that chapter. _AND_ if you liked it, i swear. u are a god. or a goddess. whatever.**

**...**

**you kno what? i think i'll make someone die.**

**yessss... that is a wonderfully delightful idea.**

**and i _JUST_ _NOW_ THOUGHT OF IT!**

**:D**

**review! **

**over and out! **

**hee hee that sounded professional. **


	13. Who doesn't look good in jealousy?

**okay, for the record, i actually _tried_ a honey tortilla... so the description of it's taste is accurate... well for me it is.**

**:D the things i do for this fanfic.**

**ENJOYYYYY!**

* * *

I lied in my cot, staring at the ceiling of the tent. It was pitch black, but I was pretty sure I was staring at the ceiling, since I was on my back.

_I can't sleep!_

I looked over toward where Twitch was twitching in his sleep. I could see how his face was softly glowing in the moon light; his bed was closest to the open flap. I found myself thinking I'd rather be looking at Zero in that cot than Twitch.

I _guess_ Twitch was good company... For people who understood Toyota-Talk. I was _not_ one of those people, and I could only see one thing: He was _not_ a Zero. He didn't even come close.

_And_ his digging skills were very suckish, not to mention. If we hadn't been distracted yesterday and left when we should have, he would have been out long past us.

I looked past his bed at the flat one next to it. Stanley's. It was weird only having seven people here. I wondered why we didn't get a replacement for Stanley. I mean, there's gotta be more than thirty-four juvies in the world, right?

I sighed. I hated to admit it, but I did miss Stanley. He _was_ a pretty good kid. I mean, _we_ weren't teaching Zero to read (well _I_ would have) and maybe it really _was_ Zero's idea to make an exchange. I mean, the boy did like to dig holes.

Ah screw it. _Come back __Stanley__! I do miss you! I do, I do!_

I rolled over in my cot and stared at the blackness that I assumed was the wall of the tent, trying to lull myself to sleep, but I was still wide awake.

_This is stupid _I thought, getting up. But then I was stricken with a problem: What to do?

_Maybe I'll wake up Squid _I thought, stepping over to his cot, but then stopped. _Nah, I'll let the poor boy sleep._

"Hex?" said a voice. Zigzag. I wondered how he knew it was me. Then again, I wondered how he knew almost everything. I blindly made my way over to his bed, not crashing into anything; the many weeks I'd been there, I'd gotten used to the tent layout.

I sat down on his bed gingerly, not wanting to sit on him. "Yeah?"

"Why are you up?"

I tried to remember the word for not being able to sleep. "Insomnia."

Zigzag laughed. "Me too"

I smiled, even thought he couldn't see me. I heard pages ruffling, as if someone was turning them. "Your _TV Guide_?" I asked him.

I could barely make out the motion of him nodding. "Yeah,"

"Anything good on?" I teased.

"_Ally McBeal_," He told me solemnly. It was creepy how he could tell what show was on, but hey, this is Zigzag we're talking about.

"Oh." I said, not sure what else to say. I listening to the turning of his pages, and I found it oddly comforting. This was something I could also count on. Zigzag with his _TV Guide. _I smiled again. Good ol' Ziggy.

"Well, I'm going to try and sleep," I told him softly, even though I didn't want to leave. "I don't want to be tired when I'm out digging, okay?"

He nodded again. "Alright," he said, turning another page. I again wondered. _How can he see? _

He's Zigzag. He can do anything.

I took comfort on that fact, and rested my head on the pillow, asleep in seconds.

--

The next morning, Twitch could barely get out of bed without shattering his bones. Probably because he was out long after everyone else left, digging with his upper back, and not his legs. He wasp pretty cocky about it, actually. But the joke was on him when his pace slowed and his water was long gone. He was a slow digger, even slower than Stanley.

At least he was still twitching.

But just barely.

I blew air out of the corner of my mouth and watched him groan and mutter things as he slowly sat up in bed. The guys were laughing now, and I couldn't help but snicker myself. Twitch had it coming. He didn't listen to you when we told him to pace himself and use his legs instead of his torso.

I stood up and stretched; my back was pretty stiff from falling asleep in a curl last night. I grabbed my clothes and trudged for the shower stall. I yawned and pulled on my greasy jumpsuit, still fumbling with the zipper as I walked back toward the tent. I was extremely tired.

I shuffled through the tent only to hear more blabber about how cool Stanley was, and if he was ever coming back. It annoyed me.

"You know, it's not that cool," I mumbled. "He drove it into a hole for God's sake."

"At least he had the guts to steal it," snapped X-Ray.

"Exqueeze me?" I raised an eyebrow. "First of all, you know I would have done it if I had only thought of it. Second of all, you didn't do anything either, _X-Ray_" I sneered. I was starting to feel envious of Stanley, though I knew that was silly.

He narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head. "It was still pretty sick,"

"Yeah," agreed Twitch, hoarsely. The others nodded.

"So..." I started. "What do you think they're doin' right now?"

The others thought about this.

"I bet they're dead," said Armpit.

"I bet they're not. I bet they're crawling across the desert," said Squid, who had reminded me of the image of the horrific image of Zero, except now, Stanley was in it himself.. I shuddered.

"I bet they made it toward the mountains," said the always positive Magnet. I smiled. That was a better picture than the one Squid gave me.

"I think," said Twitch slowly. "I think they're heading toward civilization. You know, walking down the road."

X-Ray and Magnet laughed. "Yeah right. They'd need water," X-Ray said. "And they ain't getting it from here. Remember? We got water guards!"

Twitch sighed. "I guess you're right. But I don't think they're dead,"

"I do," X-Ray said gravely. I looked him, frustrated. How could he be so sure?

"Ah, we'll never know," I said, leaning on my pillow, "unless they come back."

They all nodded. We sat in silence until we heard Mr. Pendanski's voice shouting for us to get out of bed. We all sighed, got up and headed for the Library, Twitch limping along behind us. I smirked and looked at him.

"I recommend you take our advice next time, hmm?"

He scowled. "I know that," he whispered.

I slapped him on the back, almost knocking him over. "Good ol' Twitchy," I laughed and joined Squid and X-Ray up by the breakfast table, where they were serving something...weird looking.

"Um, what is that?" I asked Squid.

"I think..." he picked one up with his thumb and fore finger. "It's tortillas in honey," he made a face. I stuck my tongue out and looked at Mr. Sir.

"What happened to cereal?" I asked, annoyed as I grabbed my tortilla.

Mr. Sir chuckled. "We ran out. These were literally the only two things left," he gestured toward the breakfast. I hissed and bit into it. It wasn't too bad. I could mainly taste the honey, then the tortilla, then the honey, and not the two flavors mixed together. But the aftertaste... I smacked my lips together and took a sip from my precious water to wash it all down.

Squid shrugged and took another bite. "Not that bad," he grinned. A drop of honey was on his lip.

"Um, Squid," I wiped my own lip to warn him silently. He hesitantly put his hand to his upper lip and felt around, until he found the sticky droplet and licked it off his finger. I grinned. "Got it," I told him.

"Ah, if I didn't have you Hex, my mouth would be a sticky disaster," he laughed and pulled me into a hug. I glanced around, to make sure no one was looking, and then kissed him.

"Yes you would," I agreed, smiling.

We got to our digging point and began our daily ritual. I jumped on a crack and my shovel sunk into the ground. I looked at Twitch, curious to see how he was doing. He was leaning on his shovel, groaning softly.

"You better hurry," said X-Ray.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Don't worry, it gets better as you go. Your muscles loosen as you progress,"

Twitch looked at us wearily before proceeding to jump on his own shovel. We nodded in encouragement as we got into our rhythm.

Twitch kept groaning and complaining. We all grumbled at him to shut up, be he didn't hear us. He kept whining about his back. I looked at my shovel, then at Twitch's face, then back at my shovel.

_Nah. I'm too lazy to get out of my hole._

My 'hole' was hardly a hole at all. Only a few inches in the ground, but still.

I sighed and dug my shovel into the compacted dirt. All I wanted to do was sleep, and I had the chance to do so last night, but I couldn't sleep. I growled, yawned and pictured my bed. Even my ragged old cot looked like a cloud from heaven right now. I smiled sleepily. _Sleep._

Another complaint from Twitch aroused my settled brain.

"Shut up Twitch or I swear to God I am going to beat you senseless with my shovel, which is very pointy by the way!" I held it up to emphasize my threat. Twitch looked at me, then down at his own shovel, and sighed.

He didn't say another word.

--

I wiped my forehead away of annoying sweat and took another bite out of my sandwich. Lunch tasted even more disgusting than normal, mainly because it was made of tortillas, honey and a raw onion. I didn't breath in once as I swallowed my bite whole. It felt like rocks going down my throat, and I took a swig from my canteen, washing it all way with a gulp of water.

My stomach made a low growl. I looked at it nervously. I hoped I wouldn't throw up.

Luckily, I didn't. I managed to eat most of my sandwich without spewing, mainly because I also had an apple to keep my meal mostly edible. When I finished, I trudged back toward my own hole, which was about four feet deep.

"I hope the supply truck comes soon," I mumbled, grabbing my shovel.

"Yeah. That onion combo was nasty," growled X-Ray, who was already digging.

"Its coming tomorrow," said Zigzag, sounding sure.

"How does the supply truck know what to bring?" Asked Twitch.

"Mom or some other councilor emails the company that brings us stuff," Said Zigzag, not looking up. "Usually the evening before the truck comes," The guys continued to talk, but my brain cogs were working as I dug silently, slowly lighting up a light bulb.

Muhwahahahahaha. I was brilliant.

--

I sighed in contentment as the cool water cascaded down my sore body. It was just the thing I needed. I was planning to take a nap, but after I got my idea, I needed to be as awake as possible, so I would be able to be alert. The outcome of this scheme wasn't a huge celebration, but it was worth my effort: Real food.

I changed quickly and walked over toward Magnet and Squid, who were leaning on the side of the Wreck room, talking and completely unaware of my evil genius.

I explained my idea to them as quietly as I could, so no one would hear me. Squid raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Hex?" he asked.

"Yes! Repeat after me: Real. Food."

Magnet, unlike Squid, was completely game. After all, he was the master at stealing. Well, we weren't actually stealing, but we were sneaking. So... yeah.

"Squid? You in?"

He smiled. "I'm not going to let you get hurt. Of course I'm in!"

"Alright. Magnet, I hate to burst your bubble, but you have to be the distraction."

Magnet scowled. "Why cant your _boyfriend_ be the distraction?"

I smirked. "You heard him, he's not letting me get hurt. Besides, all he's doing is keeping guard."

Squid looked mad, but Magnet was satisfied. "Alright, how do I go about with this distraction, chica?" he asked.

"Three words," I paused for dramatic affect. "Yellow spotted Lizards."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**JUST KIDDING! :-)**

* * *

Magnet stepped back. "For real?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, for real. Only the lizards won't be for real. You cry wolf... er, I mean cry _lizard_, and when everyone comes to rescue you, we sneak in. You have to be able to distract them for at _least five minutes_, okay?"

Magnet nodded, but then he furrowed his brow. "How will you be able to sign in?"

I had thought about this myself. "The supply truck is coming tomorrow, right? Well, Mom should be emailing them tonight. When we see him get on, we give you the signal, then when he leaves, we go in!"

It was all too brilliant. I was rather proud of myself.

But I wasn't sure why I was doing this. At first I just assumed it was me trying to get real food. But if that was the _real_ reason, I would have done this long ago. Then I realized it was to show up Stanley and win back the affection and respect of D-Tent.

And this was the perfect way to do it.

Ah, I was a jealous mess.

"Alright," said Squid. "Lets do it,"

We made our way toward the office, where the computer was. We peered in the window as discreetly as we could and saw Mr. Pendanski sitting on the computer, _tap tap tap_ing away. I turned and nodded at Magnet, who was talking to Zigzag and X-Ray, alerting them of what we were doing.

Magnet then screamed. Everyone's heads jerked and looked toward his direction. "Lizards! Everywhere!" he cried. Squid went running in the office.

"Mom! Mom! Magnet's getting attacked my lizards!"

Mr. Pendanski jolted up and went running toward the scene, where all the other councilors were heading toward, too.

I ran in as fast as I could and scanned the email over. I shook my head at he poor choices of food, copy and pasted the body of the message and began typing furiously.

I heard Squid cough, his signal to warm me the commotion was breaking up. I clicked 'send', then opened a fresh message to the delivery company, pressed paste, deleted the message from his 'sent' box, just to be safe, then dashed like mad out of the office, just in time to see Mr. Pendanski mumbling about delusional boys.

"Did you shoot the lizards?" I asked innocently.

"There were no lizards, that little trouble maker," muttered Mr. Pendanski as he looked up at us. "What are you doing here?"

I made a face. "I wasn't going to go that close to lizards!" I shrieked. I saw Squid holding back a chuckle. Mr. Pendanski sighed and went to sit on his computer, typing away, oblivious to what had just been done. I grinned at Squid and gave him a high five.

I couldn't wait for the supply truck to come.

"How are we going to get the stuff?" he asked. "I mean, don't you think they'll be suspicious when they find coke and chips in the truck?"

"They wont," I smiled as I headed for the Warden's cabin. Phase Two. I could literally hear the Mission: Impossible theme song as Squid and I knocked on the door. She opened it with a grimace on her face. The cool air rushed to meet us and I sighed.

"Yes?" she said curtly.

"Can we unload the supply truck this time, Lou?" I asked sweetly, hoping she didn't forget her promise to me on my first day.

She growled. "You'll probably take all the food,"

"No, I can promise you everything you ordered will be exactly where you want it," I worded my promise slyly. The Warden looked at me for a while, before sighing.

"I guess. I could use a break anyway."

_A break!? _I wanted to scream._ That's all you ever get, you asshole! _

But I didn't, I just smiled and said "All I want to do is help,"

"You better have everything perfect," she threatened lowly. I nodded and smiled.

"You just have your break and be happy." I tried to smile wider, but any more muscle strain and I would have to get plastic surgery to get my face un-stuck.

She smiled wearily back before shutting the door. I looked at Squid and gave him a high five.

"Score," I grinned. For once I was happy to be the only girl in a boys' camp.

He pulled me into a kiss before we walked back toward the tent.

All the guys glommed onto us as soon as we walked on. "Did you do it?" "Did they catch you?" "Man that was brilliant!" "Oh God, real food!"

I smiled and answered their questions. "Yes. No. It was, wasn't it? I know I can't wait!" I sat on my cot and fell back on the pillow.

_Take that Yelnats!_

_ I still miss you..._

* * *

**MuWaH! isnt Hex a clever, jealous beasty?**

**hahahaha ok... so yeah. review. :-)**

**please?**


	14. Animation investigation of Hexed ideas

**ok, so sorry for not updating in a billion years. I sorta got grounded...for stalking my teacher (but i swear we weren't stalking her! honest!) and on top of that, i had major writers block.**

**Sorry if this chapter is boring, but its needed. I promise there will be a 1000x more action next chappie. Real soap-opera drama, people ;)**

**enjoy!**

**oh, PS, thanks AshleyTmiiBiigStar. ur review made me smile! :-)**

**and PPS, fyi, i did try a honey tortilla with an onion.**

**Nasty.**

**Do. Not. Attempt.**

**:D**

* * *

I gripped a bag of Doritos in my fingers and looked around nervously. It had taken us a while to convince Mr. Sir and the rest of the councilors that the Warden was actually letting us unload the truck and we wouldn't steal any of the food they ordered. I grinned and handed the bag to Magnet, along with a six pack of pop. Squid held up a loaf of bread, handed it to Zigzag who threw it to X-Ray, who stacked it nicely with the rest of the food in the back of the little shack. Magnet handed the chips and soda to Twitch, who snuck toward the tent with Armpit as a look out. It was the perfect plan, mostly because Zigzag had the skillful art of confusing the councilors of who was supervising. Now, they all just assumed someone else was watching us, even though no one really was.

I gripped another bag of chips and tossed them towards Magnet.

"Hex," Squid said softly, tossing a bag of onions toward Zigzag. "Did you get bread? And peanut butter?"

I dug through cans of beans until I found the jar of Jif. "Yup." I tossed that, along with a couple fresh loafs of bread, toward Magnet. He passed it on to Twitch, who ran off toward the tent.

I was literally drooling when I saw the food we would soon be eating. God, it looked so good. I tossed a bag of beef jerky over toward Magnet. Squid smiled.

"This is so great," he laughed, tossing a packet of tortillas over his shoulder.

I remembered the onion on the tortilla and honey. I'm made a face. I could almost feel the stinging of the hot juices intoxicating my senses. I shuddered and grabbed a can of salsa and tortilla chips, handing them off to Magnet.

"Almost done?" called X-Ray.

"Almost," I scanned the rest of the truck, grabbing a gallon of milk and handing it to Zigzag.

"Hey, look, cookies!" Squid almost squealed as he grabbed a bag of Chips Ahoy. "Did you order these?"

I looked at them. "No I ordered Oreos,"

Squid dug around in the cargo. "Oh, these?" he held up the blue package.

I nodded as he tossed them in the other direction.

We double checked the cargo to make sure we got all of our stuff, and then focused more on getting the rest of the camp's stuff unloaded. I saw Twitch and Armpit return from the tent.

"Just in time." I heard X-Ray mutter, "Here comes Mom,"

I jerked my head to see Mr. Pendanski trotting happily towards us holding a clipboard. "I'm going to take inventory," he said, smiling but threat still in his voice. "If one thing is missing, then you will be severely punished,"

I rolled my eyes. I knew he had no clue how he was to 'severely punish' us. He headed for the shack. I heard him begin counting and listing off food to himself. I grinned at the boys. They grinned back.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" said Armpit.

I rolled my eyes again. "Oh, give me some credit, will ya?" I snickered. "Though, honestly, I didn't think it would work either,"

They laughed just as Mr. Pendanski walked back out of the shack. Relief was on his face. "Good job," he said, smiling. "Nothing's missing."

"Of course," I said sweetly, batting my eyelashes. I tried to hold back my laughter when I saw Mr. Pendanski was buying my girlish act. "We just want to help,"

Mr. Pendanski looked at me, not sure what to think. I nodded at him and turned to go back to the tent. The others followed, keeping straight faces until we entered the flap. Then we burst out laughing.

"Oh, man that was great!" said Twitch, between giggles.

I beamed. "Let us feast. Where did you put the stuff, Twitch?" I turned to him.

He nodded toward his suitcase (which he unnecessarily brought to camp) and nudged it with his foot. "In here," He leaned down and unzipped the suitcase. I watched it like it was glittering treasure. And, technically, it was. I grabbed a piece of bread and the jar of peanut butter.

"Ok, you know we can't just chow down whenever right?" I said slowly. "We gotta make this last as long as possible."

The guys nodded and looked at me holding the peanut butter.

"Sandwich anyone?" I grinned and opened the cap.

"Do we have a knife?" asked Magnet, nervously.

I laughed. "Knives are for Girl Scouts!" I mocked Mr. Sir as I dug my finger into the thick residue. The guys smiled and followed suit, spreading it on a slice of bread and munching happily. I laid back on my cot, feeling rather proud of myself. I licked my fingers.

All I heard was the smacking of peanut butter until Twitch finally spoke up. "We should start a band,"

Everyone laughed. "Sure, Twitch," said Armpit, snickering.

"And how would we do this?" asked Squid sarcastically. "We have no instruments, and no audience. And no motive," he rolled his eyes. Twitch could be really retarded.

"Well, first we need a really hot lead singer," he said, taking another bite.

I stopped mid-chew. All the guys' heads slowly turned toward me.

"What?" I said with a mouthful of sandwich. "No, I am not prancing on a stage half naked with millions of people watching me!" I cried. I saw Zigzag glance from side to side.

"I can play drums," he said slowly. We all laughed.

"Don't encourage him, Zig," said Magnet, wiping his fingers on his pants.

"Hey, wouldn't be fun to start a band when we leave here?" Twitch said, sounding offended. "I mean, we will keep in touch, right?"

I glanced at Squid, feeling my stomach churn. "Hopefully," I said softly, trying to get back on the band subject before I burst into tears. "But a band with seven people, maybe nine if Stanley and Zero come back?"

Twitched waved his hand, as if brushing that thought away. "Oh, they weren't here to share in my genius. They can be the mangers or something."

I laughed. "That still leaves seven people."

Twitch thought about this. "Ziggy is the drummer, you are the lead singer," Oh God, he was actually serious about this. Oh, whatever. It wouldn't hurt to play along with his little fantasy!

"Hey, who said I was going to sing?" I raised an eyebrow. The guys looked at me like _Are you really wanting to start a band?_ I shrugged and grinned.

"Well, we do need someone hot," said Twitch, smiling widely. I rolled my eyes, feeling myself blush.

"Why can't we have a hot _guy_ sing?" I pitured one of the boys strutting around half naked.

Heh heh heh. This rock star fantasy was enjoyable.

"Like Squid?" they chorused. I threw my pillow at X-Ray, who was laughing his ass off. But that was a bad move, since now I had to lean on the wall. I crossed my arms and glanced at Twitch.

"What if I'm a bad singer?" I sniffed.

"Well, whatever," he said. "I can play guitar, a little..." he thought. "Maybe we can have a bass player,"

X-Ray shook his head. "Twitch, stop dreaming," he looked at me "And stop encouraging him!"

"Hey, we _need_ a little fantasy around here!" I snapped back. "All we do is dig and play pool,"

"And jack food," said Magnet, holding up his fingers and wiggling them.

"That, too." I popped the last piece of my meal in my mouth. "Ah, I love real food." I sighed contentedly and licked my fingers of any left over peanut butter. I watched Twitch pout and shook my head. Who knows? He might start a great band someday.

"Hey, does anyone know if they're going to replace Stanley?" I asked no one in general.

X-Ray shrugged. "If they were, I think they would have done so by now, right?" he looked at the other guys for agreement.

The others nodded, muttering back "right," as they did so. I looked up at the ceiling.

Man, they were dead for sure.

--

I licked my chapped lips, thought I knew that would make them only drier despite the temporarily moistness. I wiped them with my sleeve, but that only made them dirty. I sighed, giving up, and jabbing my shovel blade into the dirt.

I wondered how many holes I had dug since I'd been here. I tried to remember how long ago Zigzag had said it was December, but time was impossible to keep track of here. It just melted into a day-in, day-out hardcore routine until one slowly went insane. It was like trying to hold water with spread fingers.

"Zigzag, what day is it?" I asked.

"December tenth," he said, dumping a shovel-full of dirt on his pile. I learned to never doubt him. Ever.

"Alright, thanks," _Okay, so if I got here November second, that means on December first I was here for thirty days, counting the first, so... thirty-nine days? Thirty eight holes since...well; I didn't dig one the first day._

I squinted in the distance; it was about time the water tuck came, eh?

I sighed. "You know what we should do?"

"What?" Came the basic grumbles from random guys.

"Call the pizza guy...you know, one of those places where if they don't get here in less than thirty minutes, you get it for free? Yeah. He shows up here, like, nine hours after we call him, with that pissed look on his face. We take our pizza for free." It was retarded, but hey, I was just waiting for my water. My brain was going into dehydration mode, and whatever came out of my mouth was not accountable for any common sense what so ever. I scowled.

"When's the water truck getting here?" I hissed when the boys finished chuckling at the results of my thirst. "It's been, like, three years,"

Suddenly, I saw the arising dust cloud approach us. I grinned and hopped out of my hole, ready for my welcome refill.

"Ah," I sighed contentedly as I gulped my newly obtained treasure, and then went back to the endless hole I was attempting to dig.

"I fought the law, and the law won," I muttered as I scooped up out a small rock onto my pile. I heard X-Ray laugh.

"Nice, Hex," he said, shaking his head.

"I don't know, I thought that song fit,"

"Sure,"

"It does!" I scowled.

"It does, X, give her some credit," said Armpit, sniggering. I rolled my eyes and continued to dig, the song blasting inside my head. I found myself humming along. Hey, it was catchy!

I wiped away beads of sweat forming on my forehead and took a sip from my canteen. This hole, I realized, was so much easier than my first one. I smiled, but then frowned when I realized this hole was far from my last. I sighed and sank down down on m butt, taking refuge in the small amount of shade.

I _was_ going insane.

--

I peered out over the top of my nearly finished hole. Twitch was sitting on the edge of his hole and dangling his feet. He wasn't too close to being done. I rolled my eyes and continued to dig, until I reached five feet. I bid my farewells to Twitch and dragged myself to camp, where I took my shower and flopped down on my cot, staring at the tent wall.

I noticed a small scorpion craw carelessly through the tent. He stopped several times, twitching his stinger, before moving around the bunks, most likely inspecting them for a suitable place to sleep. I watched him curiously.

I kind of reminded me of me when I didn't have a home. I would wander listlessly in the street, looking for a park bench or an open garage.

But hey, when I get out of here, it'll be the same thing. I blew air out of the side of my mouth and looked away from the scorpion, hoping to forget my troubles.

I couldn't. So, I got up and joined my fellow tent mates in the Wreck room, trying to push the wandering arachnid out of my mind as I forced myself to be animated.

I sighed. Time seemed to slow, and everything around me turned to blur.

Even animation has its down sides.

* * *

**Kay, i kno chappie is short, but like i said, writers block. But i swear, waaaaay more in the next chappie.**

**Including a death.**

**BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**


	15. Ladies leave first

** here, FINALLY, is the next chappie. sorry for taking forever. writers block again. but trust me, the next chapter is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.**

* * *

"I would never hurt you, you know that, right?"

I looked groggily over at Squid, who was sitting on the edge of my cot. Everyone else was asleep. I smiled. "I know," I said, but what I didn't know was why he was saying that now, in the middle of the night. I propped myself on my elbows. "And why are you telling me this?"

He sighed. "You've been acting weird lately, and I thought I had something to do with it,"

Well, technically he did have something to do with it, but only because I was scared he was going to leave me. I smiled, realizing he would never do that.

Would he?

I gulped and answered slowly. "No, not you, just... I dunno, I'm not what I'm going to do once I leave the camp," I shrugged, hoping he wouldn't press me further. He eyed me.

"Don't you live somewhere—" then his sentence was cut of by the memory of our conversation a few weeks back.

I laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but I didn't say anything. He smiled at me. I smiled back.

Suddenly, I felt a rush of happiness, an explosion of joy that threatened to burst past my skin, as corny as that was, it was true. Looking at the perfect, dusty boy in front of me, smiling and rocking back and fourth on his heels, it didn't matter to me as long as I knew he existed, as long as I knew he was alive. I felt the sudden urge to protect him, like a lingering body guard over celebrities.

God, I was pathetic. I rolled my eyes at myself. His face changed to panic.

"What?" he asked nervously.

I smiled when I realized he thought I was annoyed at him. "Nothing, I'm just thinking about how stupid I am."

He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He just bit his lip instead. I decided not to ask, not wanting to taint the elation I felt with bland words.

Kissing was a much better way to communicate.

--

"Letter for Alex?" called Mr. Pendanski the next day. My head snapped up. A letter? For _me_? Impossible. My hand felt detached from my brain as I numbly reached over to take it from his hand. He rolled his eyes as I clutched the alabaster paper in shock.

"Who's it from?" asked Squid, hovering over my shoulder, giving me privacy by keeping a few feet back.

"I...I..." I glanced at the return address. "The state council?" I muttered n confusion. This got the attention of the boys as they knit their eyebrows and took a step closer to watch me open it.

I scanned over the professional-looking print in search of words I understood. "Death of Ms. Shelly Barlow... Mr. Joe Barlow not located... ward of the state...funeral held in two weeks...meeting to plan arrangements..." what the _hell_? I re-read the letter to make sure I wasn't dreaming, or in case I read something wrong, to make sure it was all_ real_. The full extent of the situation didn't sink into my brain yet. I just stared at the letter until the words went fizzy and melted into the white.

"Hex?" asked X-Ray. "Hex? You okay?"

I forced my head to jerk up and down. My fist clutched the paper so tight it crinkled, and then ripped.

"Whoa, there," Twitch grabbed it out of my hands and read it himself. "Your mom died? Dude, im so sorry!" he turned to pat my back. They all did, except Squid. I saw a tiny smile form on his lips. I did the same.

"She's gone," I said hoarsely. I didn't want to think about the _ward of the state _part, not sure if that made the situation better or worse than it was. All I knew was that my mom was gone... and... I glanced at the letter. And that I was leaving to plan her funeral. Wh-hoo!

The boys read the letter to them selves, before looking at me to evaluate m reaction. I was grinning hugely, and so was Squid.

"I'm free," I whispered. "I'm free at last!"

I then turned and hugged each of the boys, before running to Mr. Pendanski.

--

The Warden looked annoyed when I mentioned the letter to her. "I know," she muttered. "They're picking you up tomorrow." She rolled her eyes. and glanced at her nails. I heard Mr. Pendanski murmur something to Mr. Sir, and Mr. sir whisper something back.

The Warden glared at them before turning to me. "You will be back here as soon as that funeral is through, you understand?"

_It wasn't like it was my choice _I thought sourly before nodding. I didn't want to say anything to upset her more, since I_ really_ wanted to leave, even if it was for only two weeks.

"Are we getting a replacement?" asked Mr. Sir as he popped some seeds into his mouth.

"What's the point?" the Warden shrugged, staring of into space. "It's not like she'll be gone long. The thing _I'm_ worried about is—" she paused and looked at me. "Pack your things," she growled.

I hesitated before getting up and heading out the door. As soon as I closed it, I heard them whisper things like "camp evaluation" and "money from the government" I rolled my eyes and headed for my tent.

"What did they say?" was one of the many questions I was bombarded with when I stepped foot through the flap.

"I get to go. They can't argue with the state council," I answered, sitting on my bed.

"Man, you're so lucky. I wish I was leaving," said Magnet.

"Don't we all?" said X-Ray.

"Maybe we'll make it to the funeral," smiled Squid, sitting on my cot and punching my arm. I smiled back at him, but was secretly mad for arousing false hope. Oh great. Now I had some fantasy that would linger around.

Ah, oh well. If they wouldn't make it, I was still coming back here anyway.

Not a big deal.

--

"No digging today!" Mr. Sir barked. "Just stay in the mess hall for now"

I grinned. Could this day get any better? I shared my excitement and happiness with D-Tent as we sat at our usual table, eating stale cereal.

"I wonder why we aren't digging," said X-Ray through his wide smile.

I shrugged. "Who cares?"

They laughed.

When our buzz died down, I put my chin in my hands and tried to stare out the dusty window. I thought I saw the Warden, along with Mr. Pendanski and Mr. Sir. I thought I could make out two more figures, a small one on a suit, and a taller one wearing some sort of hat. Beside them where two bright orange silhouettes, one had a crazy looking afro.

"Oh my god!" I screamed, jumping up and running for the door. "They're alive!" I paused, but only for a moment, at the doorway before throwing myself in Stanley's arms and hugging him. I did the same to Zero.

"You're alive," I said when I wasn't squeezing them. They smiled. I noticed Zero was holding a trunk that said Stanley Yelnats on the front. Huh.

"You say it's an all boys' camp?" muttered a tall guy with a cowboy hat. I scowled and turned toward him, but I was suddenly surrounded by the rest of D-Tent, who were crowding around Stanley and Zero.

"Man, you stink," laughed Magnet.

"Like onions," scoffed Squid.

I heard the guy mutter something to the Warden, questioning her about the camp. She spat back and glared at Mr. Pendanski. The small, Mexican woman spoke sharply to the Warden, trilling her R's, mentioning something about child abuse and labor. I couldn't help but smirk and step closer.

"If the state gave us some money..." The Warden trailed off, hissing.

The tall guy sighed and pulled out a clipboard. "This facility is now under our jurisdiction." I saw the Warden's eyes wide.

Suddenly, I heard another car pull up, and Mr. Sir mutter "crap" under his breath. I craned my head to see a tall, blonde girl step out. She walked with the confidence of someone who' lived in New York their whole life.

She smirked when she reached the porch of the mess hall. "I see Ms. Morrango beat me to the punch," she glared at the Warden. The Warden sighed and clutched her nightgown tighter. I wondered why she hadn't changed.

The blonde woman looked at me. "You must be Alex," she said, smiling.

I smiled back. I liked her already. "Yeah,"

"I'm Ms. Davis," she replied, holding out her hand. I shook it. She had a firm hand shake. "I am the city representative, and im here to pick you up to make funeral arrangements, correct?"

I nodded.

She glanced around the camp, disgust on her face very plainly. "Well," she muttered, writing something down on a piece of paper. "I think David would like a look around here," she handed the paper to Ms. Morrango. "Have you seized the property?" her voice was accusing.

"Yes," nodded the small woman. "We are filing an investigation immediately"

I looked at the other boys, a grin on my face. This day was too perfect!

I looked smugly at the Warden and her minions. They looked sunken and tired, not taking in the huge turn their lives had just taken.

Screw them.

X-Ray cleared his throat. "You know, this is it. This is a reminder of how D-Tent is separating." We rolled our eyes at his attempt to be dramatic. "We need to make an oath."

We sighed, but smiled. It was a good idea.

"How about we keep our nicknames?" shrugged Squid.

I bit my lip. "Squid, we can't go around telling people our names are Zigzag, and Armpit," I smiled. He rolled his eyes.

"I mean with each other, at least,"

"We need to grow up _some_ time. My real name is Alex"

He took a deep breath. "No its not. Alex was a name given to you by people that didn't love you. Hex was a name given to you by people who do" he smiled. "Therefore, it's your name"

I opened my mouth to speak, but didn't say anything. That was... good logic actually. "Woe Squid," I said playfully. "You're using the old noggin" I tapped lightly on his forehead. He pushed me away and grinned.

"Okay, you lovebirds," muttered Zigzag, catching in on our mood and grinning. "Is that our oath?"

"Yes!" we all replied. It felt like the worlds corniest moment, but I loved it all.

"Stanley!" called Ms. Morrango. "Let's go!"

Stanley glanced nervously at Zero. "I can't go without Hector," he said stubbornly.

She sighed, and after a moment of arguing, she turned to the tall man. "Can you get me Hector's file?" she asked, a flame of annoyance in her chocolate eyes.

The man turned to the Warden, who turned to Mr. Pendanski, who looked blankly at her.

"Get it!" she hissed.

He hesitated, and then went it, only to return a few minutes later to announce his file was misplaced. A string of accusations came from the tall man and Ms. Morrango.

"What kind of camp are you running, here, Ms. Walker?" accused the tall man.

She stared blankly at the chest Zero held. I realized that must have been what she wanted all along. Millions of questions raced through my mind.

"I need to make a few phone calls," the tall man said, glaring at the Warden. "I hope the phone works,"

In a few minutes time, he returned and asked to speak to the Warden.

"Shit," she hissed before going inside.

I looked at the boys again, pleased beyond reason. Things we're looking up for me, as well as for everyone else. It was the perfect day, a light from heaven down to hell. We had hope, finally. I chatted with the guys for a bit, and also with Ms. Davis, who was writing a lot of things down on her handy-dandy clip board.

"We cant seem to find Hector's file on our computer," said the man, returning with a pissed-looking Warden.

"So you have no claim of authority over him?" even though Ms. Morrango was short, i still was scared of her.

" I didn't say that. He's still on the computer, we just cant access his records. Its like hes fallen through a hole in cyberspace."

"A hole in cyberspace" Ms. Morrango sounded amused. "So tell me, when is his release date?"

"I don't know"

"How long has he been here?"

"Like i said, we cant-"

"So what do you plan to do with him? keep him confined indefinitely, without jurisdiction, while you go crawling through holes in cyberspace?"

The man stared at her. "He's obviously here for a reason."

"Oh," said Ms. Morrango. "And what reason is that?"

I glanced up at Ms. Davis. She was smirking, watching Ms. Morrango until she spied me staring at her. "I always let her do the shouting. Shes much better at it." I grinned and watched the man stare at her, gaping.

"C'mon, Hector, your coming with us," she took Zero's hand and led him to the trunk.

I smiled. Nothing could ruin today. Everything was getting better.

As Zero once told me: "When you live your life in a hole, the only way you can go is up"

* * *

**Ah-kay, you like-y? i tried to make the last part realistic. tell me what you think.**

**caio.**


	16. Every silver lining has a black cloud

** lol there will be a lot more chapters after, so dont worry about an 'abrupt' ending. i will tie all the knots.**

**enjoy!**

* * *

When the time came to actually leave, I found myself stalling. I realized that since the government had seized the camp, there was a good possibility I might not come back. So, in a rush, I got all their phone numbers and emails (Except for Squid and Zero, but Stanley told me that Zero was going to live with him, so I was covered, and Squid gave me his address until he managed to _get_ a phone or an email. "Maybe I'll make one on the library's computer," he told me, so I gave him mine to email me with). I hugged each and every one of them twice, and a certain someone seven times. I grinned at Stanley.

"Ironic. We're the newest, and we leave first,"

Twitch cleared his throat.

I ruffled his hair like an innocent child. "Don't worry, little one, by the looks of it, I think you'll all be out of here soon," I tried to believe my own words. The two women and the AG (AKA tall guy) waited impatiently for us to finally say 'good bye' already. I smiled at them, praising their patience so far.

"Well," I said, taking a deep breath. "See ya."

They smiled. "See ya,"

I gave them all one more hug before turning to Ms. Davis.

"I'm ready,"

She sighed a big sigh of relief and helped me into the car. But as soon as she did so, I heard thunder. I looked up and saw in shock a huge rain cloud hovering over the camp. As soon as I looked up, huge, fat raindrops fell onto my face. I screamed and opened my mouth to catch them in my dried throat.

The boys began dancing around in the sudden weather change, yelling and laughing. I ran out to join them, but got pulled away by Ms. Davis. I sighed and begrudgingly got into the car. Stanley, Zero and Ms. Morrango did the same.

I looked out the window, watching the dancing figures get smaller and smaller until all I could see was a tiny dark spot in the distance. I sighed and looked back at the dark Jaguar behind us. I grinned and waved at Stanley and Zero. They waved back.

I looked at my own car. It was a white Toyota with smooth, soft, leather upholstery and a tasteful scent of new car. So clean, so sanitized.

I hated it.

I leaned over to Ms. Davis. "Can I call Stanley?" I asked in my most polite voice. She glanced at me briefly before looking back at the road.

"Sure. Ms. Morrango's number is speed dial number seven,"

I dialed a seven, pressed 'talk', and turned to watch them answer the phone, absentmindedly twirling a thread from the seat through my fingers.

I watched Ms. Morrango glance down, fumble about, then answer her phone with a quick, sharp, "Hello?"

"Can I talk to Stanley?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sure thing," she handed the phone back to the two boys before looking at me with a half-annoyed, half-amused face. I smiled back as innocently as I could.

"Hey," I said when I saw him put the phone up to his ear. He glanced up and smiled at me. I waved.

"Hey," he said back.

"I miss the camp all ready," I admitted, embarrassed. He laughed.

"Here," he said, then pressed a button on the phone. His voice changed slightly. He sounded far away, yet still loud. "Now you can talk to both me and Zero,"

"Cool. Hey Zero!"

"Hey," I heard a voice in the back ground.

"How's life?"

A laugh. "Not so bad right now,"

I grinned. "I know. It's great,"

I continued to talk to them until I found myself growing tired. I yawned.

"Well, I'm really beat," I said, stifling another yawn. "Imma try to get some sleep before we reach town, 'kay?"

"Okay," answered Stanley only. I assumed Zero was asleep. I peered over the seat and saw him slumped over, leaning against the window, confirming my suspicions. I saw Stanley smile as I hung up the phone. I leaned back down in my seat and falling asleep before I felt my head against the leather.

--

I woke up to a nudge. I squinted and yawned and saw Ms. Davis standing over me. I sat up, stretched and looked out the window to see the car parked in front of the court house. I panicked.

"Its okay," Ms. Davis said softly. "I just need to sign these papers."

I wasn't too sure, but I nodded anyway.

"Where am I going?" I asked wearily.

"Well, first I was going to run you by the church to speak with the minister and his wife, then I was going to drop you off at..." she cleared her throat. "The city's home for those in need,"

I rolled my eyes. "The homeless shelter?" I looked amused, but really I was frightened. And annoyed. And pissed off. Nothing remotely close to 'amused'.

I saw I was clutching her cellphone in my hand still. It took great physical effort to restrain from whipping it at her head.

I growled under my breath as I followed her into the courthouse. I wasn't paying attention to what was happening. I only heard my name a few times, but I was really freaking out.

Homeless shelter.

Homeless shelter.

Homeless shelter.

Shit. I'm homeless.

I looked up and stared blankly at the stiff-looking man in a two-sizes-too-small suit, signing papers and talking to Ms. Davis. I drowned him out with my own worried thoughts.

A. Homeless. Shelter.

For. The. Homeless.

Which. I. Now. Am.

God, why can't I think in complete sentences?

I considered this while I watched the guy's thin lips move in and out, up and down as he spoke to Ms. Davis. His lips where moving, but it was like everything was muted and in slow motion. I heard nothing except the pounding of my heart and the shrieks of my brain registering the fact that I. Was. Homeless.

"Well," sound came flooding back to me as Ms. Davis got up. I shook my head and looked at her. She was smiling down at me. "Let's go,"

I nodded weakly, my legs and face feeling like the noodles we got served yesterday for dinner: wobbly and green.

I followed her back to the car. We drove to the church in silence.

We pulled up to a large, old building. Ms. Davis parked and looked at me. "I'm going to the shelter to sign something there and talk to the Headmistress about your papers." What was I, a dog? "The minister will drive you over there."

Lovely.

I watched her pull away and felt myself missing the unbearable heat instead of this foggy weather, missing the dust storms instead of this crisp wind, and missing the rowdy, loud boys instead of this blonde girl.

I looked over at the church.

I saw whom I assumed was Jesus hanging limp on a cross with nails through his wrists on the door.

What a hell of a way to welcome people...

I gulped and pushed passed the hanging man, when it occurred to me that I didn't know where to go. _Thanks a lot Ms. Davis _I thought angrily as I paused. Then I heard a voice.

"Alex? Are you Alex?" I turned to see a plump lady in her mid forties smiling warmly at me. I nodded weakly.

"Hi," she chirped. "I'm Judi." I nodded again.

"Where did you come from?" she asked, looking at me wearily.

"Camp Green Lake,"

She _tsk tsk_ed me, looking down at my appearance. I looked at myself also and saw what was disappointing. I was covered in dirt. I never really noticed it that much, since, well, everyone else was covered in dirt too. But now that I was in a clean environment, I seemed especially contaminated.

She smiled again. "Would you like to take a shower before we chat?"

What the hell? A shower in the church?

"Um, _is_ there a shower here?" I asked.

She laughed. "Yes, we save it for the homeless, who often spend the night here."

I gulped when I heard that word. It pounded in my head and made my ears ring. It echoed until the word meant nothing but pain.

Homeless. Homeless. Homeless. Homeless. Homeless...

"Id like that," I whispered quietly.

"Why didn't you shower at your home?" she asked, concerned.

"I...um... don't have one." I barely whispered. "I'm a ward of the state,"

She looked at me in horror. "You're an orphan? Oh, I'm so sorry," she widened her big brown eyes at me in understanding. She must have realized that I lived with my mom before she died. I grimaced.

"It's okay. There's a place for people like me" _Yeah, like Camp green lake._

She looked stern. "Well, you take a shower, feel free to change into the clothes people have donated—" I flinched, feeling like such a pity case—"and meet me in my husbands office," she pointed. "We can discuss..._matters _there."

I nodded and headed for the shower, stripping off my jumpsuit and stepping in a warm stream of water. I sighed, even though I felt out of place, like a puzzle piece squeezed into the wrong slot. I glanced at the knob, staring at it, thinking.

_I'm in a church, taking a shower, about to meet two perfect strangers to discuss my dead mother. I _could_ be at __Camp__Green__Lake__, taking a cold shower before going to bed._

_ Which one would I rather be doing?_

I sighed before turning the knob to 'cold'.

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**hmmm... what will happen?  
**


	17. Girls are the cracks beneith my skates

**finally, i posted! sorry i took to hell and back to post, but writing about girls is harder than guys. lol**

**enjoy.**

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I looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked like a giant, deflated balloon.

I sighed and tugged on the XXL gray tee shirt that I wore over my dripping wet body. It felt itchy and cold, but it was better than my jump suit. I dig around in the little black crates that held donated clothes for some pants. I found a pair of torn, battered jeans and smiled. Perfect.

I tugged them on over my legs, realizing that Camp made me lose a lot of weight. I looked at my long legs in the mirror and made a face. They where snow white until my foot, which was a golden brown. A model's worst nightmare. I sighed when I noticed the same rule applied with my hands. Then my face, also, was a tanned and lovely and my neck was alabaster white. It was horrifying.

I pulled my jeans up all the way, smiling at the rips that where scattered and clearly from experience and not some jean shredding machine. I padded my bare feet through the church halls, in search of Judi.

I heard murmurs from down the hall and saw a light flickering from under a door. I smiled and headed down it, knocking politely before entering.

"Hello, Alex," Judi said warmly. "This is my husband, Robert," she nodded toward a tall, thin man with the barest hint of a beard around his square jaw. His eyes were a pale honey, and his hair was a dark wave of chestnut. He smiled just as warmly as Judi did.

"Hello, I'm sorry to hear about your mother," he frowned.

I grimaced. "It's fine,"

Judi sensed stiffness and broke the silence. "Oh, Alex, you're very pretty when you're clean," she gushed. I blushed and looked at my feet. Which were bare.

"Have a seat," he gestured toward an empty chair. I sat quickly and looked at them. They were looking at me intently.

"Alex, where are you going after this funeral?" questioned Judi softly.

"Um, probably back to camp,"

She looked revolted. "That place? Ugh, I don't think so! We looked it up online while you were in the shower to see if it was on the up and up, and I am highly revolted."

I was shocked and slightly scared. What did I do now?

"Oh..." I said, not sure what else to say.

Judi sighed. "And I don't want you to go to that homeless shelter. You seem like the nicest girl"

I almost burst out laughing. _Nice girl? _That's irony for you right there, folks.

"No relatives?" asked Robert.

"No."

"Friends?"

I stifled a laugh. "Not that I know of."

He sighed and looked at his wife, asking her a silent question. She nodded hardly. He turned back to me. "Lets get started,"

We talked dates and times, locations and themes, and threw some ideas back and fourth. I was trying my best to be animated, since this whole idea was to nice, to warm-hearted for my liking. _There are too many nice people in one place! _I thought after Robert mentioned guests. _I'm going to find some real jerks and fast!_ I smiled as sincerely as I could when Judi picked up a small book and scribbled some notes down. I honestly couldn't recall any of the conversation even five minutes after it was over. It was boring as hell. Like I cared about my mom's funeral! I sat there staring at our finished plan on the coffee table.

Finally, Judi spoke up after a long minute of silence. "Alex, was your mother cruel?"

My head snapped up. Questions raced through my mind as I slowly nodded. Judi didn't say anything except "Horrible" and looked back at the plans. Robert whispered something to her, and she nodded.

He looked at me. "Alex," he said softly. "Our oldest daughter just moved out, and we have an extra room." He cleared his throat. "We were wondering if you'd like to come live with us, even if it was just temporary."

I gaped. _Too nice, too sweet, to open, it's not your kind of scene! _My brain scolded. I shook the thoughts out and nodded. "Id love to"

Judi beamed. "That's so great! Natalie and Hannah will be so pleased!"

I cocked my head and she explained. "Our other daughters. They're both your age," Jeez, what was this, some corny movie where everything works out in the end?

Well, I didn't mind.

I sat thee, looking at them with some dumb expression, I'm sure. They just took in my reaction with smiles.

"Do you think the plans are good?" asked Robert. I just nodded, not really caring to take a glance at them. He smiled. "Well, then, do you want to go home now?"

Home. Home. Home. Home. Home.

Yes, I wanted to go home.

I sighed and nodded, not sure if this was all real, if I would just wake up and see the boys and the dirt and the lizards...

It would be that bad.

I grimaced at the now familiar pang in my chest as I followed them out to the car. I wasn't sure how this was going to work out, and if it didn't, where I was going to go next. An orphanage? I shuddered at the thought. I could almost picture Squid asking if I was cold and sighed.

Despite the blazing heat, I was cold.

Very, Very, cold.

I looked at the man in front of me nervously. He was talking to Judi and Robert about them being my foster parents.

"Well, her condition isn't official yet," he said gruffly. "You can go to the conference on Saturday ask them about fostering her."

Judi nodded. "But what about tonight?"

He looked at me. "I think it was assumed she would stay at the orphanage. But" he looked down, wrote something, and handed it to Judi "I think the whole point of being an orphan is to get adopted, right?" he smiled at me and looked back at Judi and Robert. "Call this number and make an appointment. I'm not to sure about what your doing, but im pretty sure its fine. Call just to make sure, though,"

Robert nodded. They shook hands.

At least, that's what I remembered. I was asleep most of the time.

I got up and followed them out to their car. They were talking to me the whole ride to their house, but I wasn't listening. I was watching the trees blur by, wondering what Camp was doing.

"What time is it?" I asked, not moving my head off the glass of the window. The coldness soothed my sweaty forehead.

"3:47" answered Judi promptly. I though about this. The boys were probably in the Wreck room, most likely talking about me the way we talked about Zero and Stanley when they left. I leaned back and looked at the bright blue sky. I took comfort in knowing they were under the same sky as me.

Hey, wasn't that line from a movie?

I felt the car take a sharp turn. I glanced up and saw we had pulled into a drive way. The house it extended from was exceptionally tall, and painted a light crème with white trim. I looked at the neatly trimmed lawn and garden gnome perched proudly on the porch.

Defiantly not camp.

I opened my door and hesitantly got out. Judi smiled at me. "Hopefully, this will be your new home soon,"

I nodded and smiled. She led me to the door and opened it all slow, like it was suspenseful or something. I peered inside before cautiously stepping in. The carpet was as white as the clouds floating fluffily above my head and everything was dust free and perfectly in order. I felt out of place. I just wanted to move everything and track dirt and smash my foot through the TV. I wanted to kick out the air conditioning and carve a hole in the wall and put a fan in front of it. I wanted to make the place feel like home again.

"Well?" she said, apparently pleased with my shocked reaction. I stuttered. She laughed and turned her head u the grand staircase. "Natalie! Hannah! I want you to meet someone!"

Oh no. People.

I gulped when I heard the pattering of feet coming down the stairs. I looked up and saw two girls standing in front of me, both about my age.

"Natalie, Hannah, this is Alex, who will hopefully be living her soon," Judi chirped.

"Hi," said a short, caramel skinned girl with topaz eyes and shiny, curly black hair. She grinned perfectly straight teeth at me. I was instantly intimidated.

The other girl rolled her green eyes. "Nat, stop showing of your new teeth. God." She looked at me and smiled. "Hi, I'm Hannah." She had fiery red hair that was about as long and as straight as a ruler, which contrasted greatly with her winter pale skin. I could immediately tell by looking at both girls and Judi that they were adopted.

"I'm Alex," I said, trying to smile.

"Wait, aren't you the girl from that awful camp?" asked Natalie, her eyes wide.

I didn't know what else to do, so I nodded.

"Judi told me about that place," Hannah shuddered. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "It wasn't so bad,"

Natalie shook her head. I felt a pang of worry that I wouldn't be accepted by there new girls. I bit my lip, afraid.

_God Alex. You can take a shower in a camp full of female-thisrty boys and shrug it off. You can break their jaw and back sass them like it was your profession, but you can't make friends with two innocent girls?_

_ Nope._

"Hey," Natalie looked at me. "Wanna see the sacrifice of my retainer?" she grinned her white teeth at me again. I laughed without meaning too.

"Sure," I realized she must have just gotten her braces removed. It must have been hell if she wanted to torture an inanimate object. Or maybe she was just like that.

All worries vanished when I realized these girls could be more like me than I thought.

I followed them up stairs gratefully. I entered a room that I guessed was Natalie's in the few moments I'd known her. Clothes and papers were strewn about as well as random objects like a skateboard and comic books. Loud guitar was blaring out of the speakers, as was a guy's voice.

_And when we go don't blame us, yeah, we let the fire just bathe us..._

I cocked my head slightly at the odd lyrics, but in time I found myself tapping my foot to the beat. It was catchy.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Nat, you're going to make her a Goth head with this music of yours."

Natalie grinned. "But chemicals are good for your brain!"

I knit my brows in confusion, but no one noticed.

"Okay," she grabbed a jar, which had a clear retainer that was bashed in ripped. "This is Fredrick, my evil retainer."

I smiled, a million waves of relief flooding my insides. I was extremely glad that I wasn't deemed an outcast. Again.

Natalie scowled at the jar and shook it. "You are going to die Fredrick."

She leaned down and pulled a large, metal container form under her table, along with a rolled up new paper. She began shredding it, and letting the pieces drift down into the bucket. I watched with a mind full of questions.

"Okay," she said when almost the whole roll was in the bucket. "Now I light the match..." she pulled a book of matches from her pocket, grinned at me, and lit one, throwing it into the bucket. It ignited the paper and I watched in fascination as orange flames lapped tamely at the air. She pulled at the retainer out and laughed evilly.

"Time to die," she slowly, dramatically, let it drop into the flames and we all watched it melt.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Nat," she left with an eye roll only to return a few minutes alter with a package of water bottles. "Funs over,"

Natalie sighed as she watched her flames slowly die. I smiled a little bit, not feeling the slightest bit awkward in my new setting. I already like Natalie, and Hannah, I was pretty sure, was there to keep me sane.

Natalie looked at me. "Hannah always ruins the fun,"

I smiled, not sure what to say. Natalie put the bucket back and Hannah pulled me over to the bed. "Now that Nat is done being a freak, tell us about the camp,"

"Ooo!" Natalie squealed, abandoning the mess and sitting cross legged on the bed. "Tell us,"

"Well, she told you that it an all boys' camp, right?" I asked.

They widened their eyes.

"All boys?" whispered Natalie.

"The only girl?" continued Hannah.

I sighed. "Just me and the chick that runs the place,"

"Perv," Natalie rolled her eyes. "What kind of girl runs an all boys' camp? I bet she has good dreams at night."

I laughed. "I know,"

"Mmmmm I can smell a romance," said Natalie. Hannah was still staring at me.

"Wasn't that...awkward?" she asked quietly.

I laughed. "Like you couldn't imagine. I had to take a shower, get dressed, the whole bit,"

"Like I said," Natalie grinned. "Romance right?"

"Uh..." I looked at the ceiling.

She cackled. "I was right,"

I blushed. "Yeah,"

Hannah lit up. "Tell us,"

My smiled faltered, but I continued. "Well, we all had about seven or eight people to a tent. I had seven other people...guys... to mine. Tent D." I paused, took a breath, and continued. "Stanley, Squid, Zero, Zigzag, Armpit, X- Ray and Magnet. Twitch came later."

The looked confused.

"Their nicknames. We all had nicknames. I was Hex. Their real names are Alan..." I paused, trying to remember Zero's. "Hector...Ricky, Theodore...Rex and Jose. Then Brian" I concluded, smiling a little proudly at my history.

"What was Stanley's? Did he have one?"

I nodded. "Caveman, but he didn't like people to call him that,"

"This's cool," Natalie said, grinning. "What were they like?"

"Stanley was super sweet—"

"He the boyfriend?"

"No."

"Damn"

"Anyways" I continued, trying to stifle my chuckles. "Sweet, kind, not like the others. In fact, im not even sure why he was sent there," I shrugged. "Squid was funny." I kept my words. Tone and face even; I wanted them to guess who was... my boyfriend. "He had a horde of toothpicks and a du-rag around his head. He was probably the third toughest," I kept his past out of it. "Zero almost never talked. He was sort of an outcast, but eventually people warmed up to him. He was small and has this totally sick afro. I loved to touch it." I laughed lightly. So did them.

"Zigzag was... um...fascinated with fire." Hannah nudged Natalie knowingly. "He was tall and thin and had very insane hair. He wasn't insane, so to speak. Just weird. He was really cool like that though.

"Armpit—" Snickers. "Didn't smell. I was told...ah, he got bit by a scorpion there or something. Real muscular and tough. Probably the second toughest. Really didn't talk much though." I shrugged.

"X-Ray... the unsaid leader. He was tiny, which was weird. He wore thick lenses and couldn't see well, but...like...everyone feared him. Probably because he was scheming," I laughed. The smiled, fascinated.

"Magnet was like...Latino or something. He was funny and was always makin' jokes. He got sent there 'cause he stole a puppy." They laughed.

"Twitch was a new kid. Kind of annoying. Really small it wasn't even funny. He stole a car and he can't sit still because of it." I shook my head, a little out of breath and of my comfort zone from all that talking about D-Tent. The nodded slowly.

"The work?" Hannah inquired.

"We dug a five by five hole all day, until we were done, then we could whatever." I shrugged. "Food was gross, not much to do except play pool or lay around. Mr. Sir barked at us all day, and every three or something days Mr. Pendanski would give us 'group time'" I rolled my eyes. "It was really retarded,"

I explained the details of a shower token and the lizards and random stuff about the place. They looked at me with what now was shock.

When I was finished, I waited for a question to pop up, but they just stared at me.

"Who was the boyfriend?" Natalie asked, bring the topic back to boys.

"Squid: I said, blushing.

She grinned. "Was he hot?"

"Natalie!" Hannah smacked her.

I nodded to answer er question. She grinned and rubbed her arm where Hannah slapped it.

"So...yeah." I said in conclusion to the conversation. "That's Camp."

Natalie sat up. "You know, lets go shopping,"

I was beginning to think she could be very random. I shrugged. It worked for me.

"Okay, sure," said Hannah. "Let's get her a new wardrobe," she looked me up and down. "And out of those." I blushed and followed them outside.

"Hey, Judi, we're taking Alex shopping," Natalie, gabbing a set of keys. "Be back later,"

Before I knew it, I was in the same car as before, Natalie complaining that she needed her own car and Hannah complaining about having Natalie drive her around. I sat awkwardly in the front seat (Hannah insisted I sit there out of politeness) and fiddled with a loose thread on my shirt, not sure of what female companionship would do to me in the next hours.

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	18. Nine hours away or nine minutes away?

**wh-hoo! i posted in a fairly decent amount of time!**

**I'm just psyched I'm almost done. lol**

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Natalie shoved two shirts in my face. "Which one?" she asked for the seventh time since we got to the mall, each time holding up an array of shirts I had no clue on.

I stepped back a little, looking the two pieces over. One was an orange, strappy, skimpy dealie with little flowers all over it. The other was plain black with a band logo on it. 'Fall Out Boy', I assumed, was a band.

"Er, no orange," I said, thinking of that hideous orange jumpsuit.

She laughed, put the stripper's piece away and held up the other shirt. "I like this," she mused, looking it over. "I might just buy it..."

"Is that a band?" I asked.

"Only the best." She threw the shirt over her arm and I saw four guys leaning casually on the back.

Hannah sighed. "What kind of clothing do you like?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't like the girly shit," I said. "You know..." I glanced meaningfully at the orange reject. Even if it _wasn't_ skimpy, it was still orange.

Natalie looked back at the racks of clothing. "So... what colors?"

"Anything but orange."

She laughed. "You'd look good in black—"

Hannah slapped the current shirt out of her hand and smiled kindly at me. It reminded me of Stanley and made me feel sad.

"How about you look around for a little bit while we try clothes on. That way, you won't be distracted." She side-glanced at Natalie and giggled. I smiled and turned to the racks, feeling over whelmed. In a moment, I was alone.

I felt awkward and self conscious, which surprised me. I had never really felt that before, the only other time being my first shower at Camp, but that was different. Here, I felt out of place, like a puzzle piece that didn't fit. I stuck out and didn't match up right.

I browsed casually through the clothes, looking for something that perked my interest. I strayed away from orange and yellow all together, looking more at darker colors like purple, blue and black. I had only found a few shirts that I liked when Natalie voice made me jump in fright. It had been so quiet and peaceful before...

"So Alex..." she said from behind. "Are you and this Squid guy going to continue dating after he gets out?"

Hope flared in me at the mention of this possibility. I really wished that would happen, but something was weighing me down, telling me to forget it.

I shrugged and continued looking. "I dunno. I wish he would come to the funeral..."

"When are the officially released?" asked Hannah from behind Natalie.

"I'm not sure... I wish it was soon,"

"Maybe," Natalie mused. "Maybe he will come."

I cursed her for putting back old hopes into my brain. "Trust me, he won't"

She smiled wryly. "How can you be sure?" she asked.

I grimaced. "I just am."

Hannah came to the rescue. "Er...how about you try those on?" she nodded toward my shirts. I sighed, tried to smile, and headed for the changing rooms.

"Hey, what's your email?" Natalie said, a bush fading from her cheeks from something Hannah must have said to her. "I need to add you,"

I wrote it down on a customer survey that was hanging in dozens on the wall.

"How did you get one?" asked Hannah, trying not to be rude, but I didn't care.

"I made one at the public library,"

"Oh."

I tired on the shirts, liking all of them except one which fit too tight. Natalie, on the other hand, told me to buy it.

"If Squid thought you were hot in an orange jumpsuit," she raised her eyebrows at me and grinned. I rolled my eyes good naturedly.

"Tell us more about him." she prompted.

"If you want to." Added Hannah hastily.

"Well..." I told them about how brown his eyes were, but how they still had depth to them. How he always had a playful smirk on his face, how lean his muscles were...

"Sounds like a total hottie," Natalie sighed.

I blushed. "Yeah..."

"Hey!" Hannah saved my life again. "Look at this shirt!"

She held up a gray tee-shirt with a shovel on it. Natalie laughed. "Oh man that's awesome!" she threw it to me. "You should get it! You totally should get it!"

I glanced at the size, which I learned I was a medium. "Okay," I shrugged, smiling a little bit. They grinned back and dragged me toward the jeans' section.

_The weird thing is... _I thought to myself. _I'm having fun._

--

I shifted uncomfortably in the metal food court chair. My bags were tugging on the insides of my arms, leaving red lines. Natalie told me to be proud, that those were the marks of a true girl. I sighed, thinking that was exaggerated a bit too much, since shopping wasn't my total obsession, even though I've only been doing it for a few hours.

Natalie speared her noodles with a plastic fork, wrapping them around the spikes and eating the roll with a satisfied "Mmmmm..."

Hannah ordered a salad, and seemed just as happy with it as Natalie was with her spaghetti. I, overjoyed with edible food, got a smoothie, recommended by Natalie on a hot day.

I sucked on the straw, feeling the chill of icy mangoes and strawberries on my tongue. It was delicious, as the girls had promised.

"Like it?" asked Hannah.

"Love it." I smiled and took another sip.

"Lemme see what you bought," requested Natalie. I gave her my bags without question; after all, she did buy them for me.

She laid my things on the table and looked them over. "Not bad," she said, running her hands along the material.

"I agree. You didn't fall for Natalie's plea for Goth," Hannah grinned at her sister and Natalie rolled her eyes.

They asked me less and less about camp, since I had answered most of their questions through out the hours. They got a good idea about me and Squid, Hannah deeming it as romantic, and me, sporting my new hobby, blushed.

I finished up my smoothie, gathered my things in the shopping bags, and followed them toward the exit, slightly relieved to be away from crowds of people.

While driving home, Natalie's cellphone rang. "Yeah...sure... no I got her...yeah..._yes_" she rolled her eyes at me and Hannah. "No...not really. Okay bye."

She hung up and turned left instead of going straight. "We're going to Wal-Mart for a sec to get some groceries"

"Okay," Hannah and I mumbled. Damn. More crowds. I'd be lucky if I managed to not whip something at someone under stress. I wasn't used to being in an area with more than forty people.

Ah, camp... I missed it. Really bad. I was warming up to my new 'family', but things didn't feel right. Things weren't the same... there was a small hole in my chest. Small, but very, very noticeable. We pulled up to a stop light, and I glanced over at the truck next to us.

A huge squid loomed over me, painted on the side of a U-Haul.

_Oh sweet mother of god! _I thought as I looked away. _Stupid U-Haul, making me feel like shit..._

I looked away at the leather seat I saw sitting on. Gray. No traces of camp-ish-ness. It was safe. I stared at the patterns until they seemed to twitch.

_Goddamn it, Twitch. _I leaned my head against the cool window, letting my eyes go out of focus so I didn't have to look at anything at all.

--

I pulled up the hood on the hoodie I had recently gotten so I wouldn't have to look anyone in the eye. Frankly, when they weren't dressed in orange and hauling around a shovel, people scared me.

I trailed the two girls loyally, not wanting to stray even an inch. I kept my eyes straight ahead, not commenting on what Hannah and Natalie were saying, not looking at what they were buying, just staring straight.

That didn't work so well...

I almost ran into a sign that came out of nowhere from my blind spot. _Zero Calories!_ It bragged.

_Ugh _I sighed and looked away, only to see a row of deodorants that advertised fresh smelling armpits. I sighed and just decided to look at the floor. Which just so happened to be covered in zigzag patterns.

"Why?" I muttered, ignoring the pang behind my belly button.

Deciding to just look up and walk, I stared at the large tubes that loomed over the store like clouds, sighing in relief that there wasn't some sign that read "DO YOU MISS CAMP YET?"

Suddenly, I slammed into someone and fell backwards.

"Dumbass," he muttered, wiping off his jeans. "Watch where you're going and get your brain x-rayed."

I bit my lip and watched him walk away. I swear, karma was out to get me.

Hannah looked at me strangely. "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh I'm fine," I said, somewhat distracted by an overhead TV.

"_So easy, a caveman can do it!"_

_ Damn, it's everywhere! Camp is everywhere!_

I wondered if I was going insane...

I grimaced as I walked under the blaring add, ignoring shot looks from Natalie and Hannah. I was starting to feel depressed, though I wasn't sure why.

I'd see them again, right?

I was positive.

"Alex?" Natalie shattered my thoughts, sounding concerned. "Could you grab a roll of duct tape for me?"

I nodded, smiling at her, not wanting her to worry, and grabbed the gray roll off of a shelf. She smiled a little more.

"Thanks,"

I just nodded and tried to keep alert as I followed her toward the exit, still clutching the tape in my hand, making it sting.

I stuffed my fists in my pocket, waiting in line at the checkout, getting bumped and nudged by the crowds of people, feeling claustrophobic.

I helped carry the stuff out the door once it was bagged. I walked out the door, covering the sign that said "Magnets do not affect metal detectors" with a piece of duct tape as I went.

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	19. When Hell freezes over

**ah yes, i posted. i am so very happy.**

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As I lay in the overstuffed guest bed that night, I couldn't help but feel like a dumbass. _I mean, I'm in this nice house, in a super squishy bed—_I readjusted myself under the sheets—_with two friendly daughters and kind, loving parents. What more could I want?_

I didn't bother to answer that question.

_Seriously Alex, _I scolded myself _Nothing's going to be the same. Sure you have their numbers and whatever, but you're out in the real world now. They have family, friends, school and shit. No painfully dull camp to make them focused on each other. Things fell apart the moment Stanley, Zero and you left._

I sighed and readjusted myself again under the covers, looking at the dark silhouette of the moon behind the clouds. I wondered where the guys were, this very second. It bothered me to think they could be blissfully sleeping in comfy beds, separate and alone from each other, though that was selfish of me.

I rolled over, not feeling the least bit tired but not wanting to stare at the moon. I pressed my worn, tired face into the pillow, forcing myself to sleep.

Surprisingly, it was easier than I thought.

_I glanced around the wide, Victorian room. A large chandelier loomed over the room with a sense of pride, like it was better than everything else. The floor had golden patterns etched into the crystal, and it felt weird to stand awkwardly on something so valuable, though it was implied the way it was cared for so poorly that it was made into a floor. I shifted uncomfortably in the colorful light that was shed through the stained glass windows into the elegant surrounding, looking for another sign of life. No one was in sight._

_ Only me._

_ I spun around twice, looking for something to put my hopes on, to ask where I was, but I seemed to be alone. I sighed impatiently and stared at the dusk particles dancing in the sunbeams, waiting for something to happen._

_ After a while of standing rigid, my foot itched. I squirmed uncomfortably, still confused, and leaned over to scratch my toe, only to gasp and fall over._

_ I was wearing snow white heels and some sort of satin dress. My arms were covered in gold bangles, as was my neck. I patted up toward my hair and felt it was swept up in a horde of invisible pins._

_ "The hell..." I muttered to my reflection in the mirrored floor. I looked different. Not good, not bad, just... different. Like I was another person, trapped in another body, another house, another life._

_ "Enjoying your funeral, Miss Barlow?" asked a raspy voice. I turned my head to see a man in his late eighties staring amused at my sprawled figure. He was wearing a bright orange tux. The clothing seemed familiar to me, but I wasn't sure... I strained to recall the memory, but before five minutes ago, I could remember only darkness._

_ "My...funeral?" I blinked. So many questions raced through my head, I couldn't even keep track of them._

_ He laughed a quiet, throaty hackle. "Isn't it sad?" he leaned down, grinning at me. He had a toothpick rammed between his lips. The memory ached to make itself known, but I couldn't seem to grasp it. "No one came to mourn for you. What a pity. You were such a good girlfriend, too."_

_ "What..?" I whimpered._

_ "Don't you know?" he laughed again. "You died."_

I jolted upright in bed, sweat forming on my forehead and I was panting hard. "Squid" I mouthed to myself. I shuddered the dream off, though I was highly disturbed. I glanced over at the digital clock on the bedside table. 4:29.

I couldn't help but smile wanly, this little slice of life making me feel better. _'Bout time to get up, eh Alex? _I wiped the back of my neck with my hand so my hair wouldn't cling to the moist-ness. I felt hot and uncomfortable under the bed sheets, so I threw them aside and got up to use the bathroom, following my daily routine from camp. I pulled on one of the new shirts and jeans I had bought the day before, and smiled at the relaxed, 'normal kid' vibe I got from them.

"What to do..." I muttered to myself. "No one else is up..."

I grimaced and looked around the room for something to do. I grinned when I saw a notebook lying carelessly on the floor, a pencil in is spine.

"Maybe..." I said quietly to myself "I should write a certain group of boys a letter..."

I grabbed the notebook and pencil and began writing, including where I was, what I had been doing lately and what day and what time the funeral was.

Just in case.

After several drafts, I looked at my work and smiled, proud that it came out fairly decent.

_Hey guys_

_ I'm in the church pastor's house, because they think im a 'nice girl'. Hee hee hee. They have two daughters named Natalie and Hannah, and they took me shopping. It's weird, doing girl things..._

_ Anyway, im writing to tell you I'm not doing too badly. How's camp coming? Did the Warden commit homicide yet? I'd be laughing my ass off if that happened._

_ So...yeah. We made plans for my mom's funeral. __3:00 PM__ on the 26th. We made the plans, but I could care less. I miss you guys too much! I_

I looked up to see Hannah standing there, smiling. "What are you writing?"

"Oh...um...a letter to camp..." I stammered. I pushed the notebook aside and stood up, brushing of my pants in attempt to stall and think of something to say. "Er...why are you up?" lame. "Did I wake you?"

"No. I get up around five."

"Oh."

"Want breakfast?"

I nodded, feeling the pang of my stomach. She led me toward the kitchen and looked around pitifully. "We need to get our Christmas decorations up." she muttered. I thought of the mall, and tried to recall if there was decorations or not. I was too focused to look around, so I didn't notice.

She grabbed a box of cereal and poured me a bowl, as well as herself. It wasn't stale, or the milk sour. It was the best goddamn bowl of cereal in the world. Even if it was...whole grain cheerios.

I drank the milk when I was finished with the cereal and put it in the sink as instructed by Hannah.

"So...um...what's your room look like?"

She chuckled. "Clean. Wanna see?"

I shrugged "Sure."

I followed her down the long hallway, up the stairs and into a door a few down form Natalie. Inside, the walls were a glowing blue with stars painted on them. In the corner, a papier-mâché moon hung with a small light flickering in it. The floors had a gray-green pattern on them that was mesmerizing. The shelves were covered in small crows, origami crickets and a stuffed sheep sat happily on her old fashioned brass bed. My breath caught in my throat.

"Oh...it's very..." I couldn't describe it.

"Inspired my Natalie's CD," she sat on the bed and began stroking the worn comforter. "The only time I've _ever_ taken any fashion advice from something of hers, a CD no less!" she laughed.

I hesitated for a second, and then sat next to her. "I really like it," I smiled and looked at the mystic, un-real artifacts around me. I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling comforted. I felt myself drift into a numb state, like everything I ever knew dissolved around me and into this room, this room reflecting everything I'd ever known and ever will know. I could see a blue glow, not fully materialized, form behind my eyelids.

I felt arms wrap around me and I knew them instantly.

"Squid..." I whispered.

I blinked open my eyes, and saw the dark room was now fully bright, the stars dull in new found light, and Hannah wasn't anywhere to be seen.

I furrowed my brows and looked at a near-by clock. 11:45 it read. I sighed, the realization hitting me instantly. I had been dreaming.

I groaned and sat up, looking for where everyone went. I felt disoriented and confused, like most people when they wake up in the middle of the day.

I peered down the hallway, and I could make out four figures in the kitchen, murmuring quietly. I yawned and followed the voices out into the bright light, which made me squint.

"Hey, she awakens!" Natalie said over a plate of Mac and Cheese.

"You must be excused from that camp, right?" Robert laughed. I nodded and smiled weakly.

"You want lunch?" asked Judi, nudging the pot my way.

I looked at her hopefully. "Sure."

She pulled up a stool and I hopped up gratefully, a little pissed at myself for sleeping through the morning. I began eating as soon as the food was on my plate. I was hungry and didn't even realize it.

"How comfy is my bed?" Hannah teased.

I blushed and looked down at my food. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"It's okay," she said kindly, hopping of the stool, taking her empty plate to the sink. I shifted awkwardly as I took my last bite and followed Hannah to the sink, still thinking about the Phantom arms around me. I sighed.

"What?" she asked, her head cocked slightly.

"Oh, I um... I'm full," I said lamely.

She raised her eyebrow, but didn't question me further. I bit my lip as I watched the family drift off to separate corners of the house, Natalie and Judi chartering excitedly about Christmas decorations as they went into the garage. Robert wondered over the computer in the corner and Hannah disappeared into her room.

I shrugged, went back into my own room, and began folding the letter so I could mail it. But I needed a stamp. And an envelope. And an address.

No, wait. I reached into my bag and pulled out the letter I had received from the state. Sure enough, the address to the camp was right there on the front.

Now for an envelope. I got up to begin my epic adventure in search of said envelope and went into the kitchen.

"Um...Judi?" I asked. She was in the middle of helping Natalie untangle some Christmas decorations.

She looked up. "Yes?"

"Can...I...uh..."

"What do you need dear?"

"An envelope?" I held up my letter awkwardly. She smiled and turned toward the computer space where Robert was, reaching into the manila box and handing me the white folded paper.

"Here, darling."

"Thanks."

"You need a stamp?"

I glanced down at my collection. "Yeah."

She chuckled, reached into the same manila box and handed me a stamp with a bell on it. I thanked her again and walked back into the private space that was my temporary room.

I tucked the letter in the envelope and sealed with my tongue. I wrote the address down, pressed the stamp to the corner, and my gaze lingered on it for a second before I went outside to shove it in the mailbox.

It was cold outside, and the chilling breeze sent adrenaline jolts to my heart. I jumped around for a second, comparing the weather to camp. _I could stay out here all day_, I thought to myself, happily.

But, the biting chill got bitterer, and I shivered, my bones seeming to freeze over and the top layer of skin turned to ice. I ran back into the house while I still could move.

"Gah!" I exhaled sharply as I slammed the door behind me. Luckily, no one was there to see me make a retard of myself, and I slid down the door in warm relief, feeling my joints melting and y redskin tuning pale again.

"Alex?" called a voice. Natalie. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I called back, my voice slightly cracking form the chill. I felt my cheeks begin to warm up, and I shook vigorously to warm the rest of my body up.

_Strange how it was super hot now it was super cold... _I thought.

I wandered into Natalie's room and in the middle of blaring music.

_Haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?_

She looked up, paused her stereo, brushed aside some stray clothes, and looked at me.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi." I sat down on her bed. "It's cold outside."

She looked confused. "No...?"

I blinked. "Have you been outside lately?"

She got up, opened her window and stuck her hand outside. "Dude, it's like, burning." She glanced at the thermometer. "Ninety-seven degrees."

"The hell?" I jumped up. "I went outside, it was freezing! I...nearly froze!" But when I stuck my hand out the window, it was, like Natalie said, burning.

She shrugged. "Must be your imagination."

I blinked. My imagination. My cold insides, my cold outsides. The room swirled around me, so bright and so strange, all sensations melted and I felt myself growing colder. I shook my head and forced myself to focus, but deep inside I knew the real reason I was cold.

I missed them.

And it was ripping me apart to be alone.

* * *

**omg, she misses them! i think we all get it now, right? lol.**

**be prepared for achange of pace in the enxt chapter. heh heh heh**


	20. Invasion of the dumbasses

**ok. i posted. again.**

**im verrry proud of myself.**

* * *

I looked down at my clothes, all in a neat stack. It had been three days since my 'chilling incident', as Natalie had dubbed it, and it never happened again. I could see just fine, I could hear and smell and feel just fine, and I wasn't delusional. Just that one time, that one moment. I had no clue what the hell was going on.

So I tried to forget it. It was really freaky if I thought about it even for a second. I mean, I couldn't love the guys that much, right?

Right?

Oh well. At least I can tell them I tried.

I patted my clothes lovingly when Natalie walked in. She grinned.

"How affectionate," she teased. I laughed and folded my last piece.

"Do you wanna go to Krispie Kreme with me and Hannah?"

I jumped up. "Hell yeah!"

She laughed and pulled me toward the car, where Hannah sat patiently but with an annoyed look on her face. "Finally," she huffed when we got in.

I grinned at her apologetically while Natalie shot out of the driveway, down the street and around the corner into the parking lot.

"Heh heh heh 14 point seven seconds." She glanced at her watch. "A new record!"

Hannah and I rolled our eyes at each other as we got out of the car. "You're gonna get a speeding ticket one day, Nat," Hannah snickered.

Natalie waved the thought away and pushed through the glass doors. The enchanting scent of bubbling fat and glaze intoxicated me, yet again, as we walked toward the counter.

"A dozen, please" Natalie grinned her perfect teeth.

"What kind?" asked the chunky lady with the mole.

"Surprise me," Natalie said, still grinning. Hannah and I snickered into our palms.

The lady grunted, told our order to the people behind the counter and handed us our number. We were ready in less than two minutes.

"Forty-eight," called the lady, holding a pink box. We jumped up from our table and grabbed it eagerly, peering inside the clear plastic to see what we got.

"Ooo! Jelly-filled!" Natalie shoved aside the lid and grabbed a sprinkled one in the middle.

We took our box to the car, Natalie munching happily, and drove around town looking for a place to eat.

"How about by the river?" suggested Hannah when we crossed the overpass.

Natalie shrugged. "That okay with you, Alex?"

"Yeah," I glanced down and saw the glass-like surface of the slow moving river underneath us, reflecting the intimidating sun with a teasing, dancing glitter. Natalie turned off and parked on the rocky shore.

We ate in silence, watching the windsurfers and hot guys tanning. Natalie spotted one in particular who wouldn't leave her eye. Hannah and I shot jokes at one another about how they would get married and have a bunch of mini-surfers.

"Shut up," Natalie said, blushing and shoving me. I giggled and watched the tan guy race his friend around on the water.

"I dare you to talk to him," Hannah said teasingly in Natalie's ear.

Natalie blushed crimson and shook her head. I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon, Nat. We want to be entertained."

She scowled good-naturedly and opened the car door. "Oh, now that I know I'm doin' it for _you_ guys," We laughed and shoved her out, giggling and chewing as we watched her trot confidently toward where the guy and his friends were set up.

She stood for a second, not sure what to do with herself. I side glanced at Hannah, who was stifling laughter. Finally, Natalie sat down, a few feet away from them. She pretended to fiddle with her nail as the guys glanced at her and whispered, nudging each other.

"I wonder if she'll do it," Hannah whispered. I continued observing, grabbing another donut when I ran on empty.

Finally, a tall, blonde guy with peach skin walked up to her, but it wasn't the guy she was watching before. He began to talk to her, Natalie shifting her gaze and answering his questions. He gestured toward the water, and after a few moments of silence, Natalie got up and followed him in. Hannah and I burst into hysterics.

"Wrong guy!" I said between fits of laughter.

When we finally looked up, we saw the guy Natalie was interested in coming toward our car. We quickly sunk down into our seats and giggled. Hannah sprayed donut crumbs on the dashboard.

"Oh sick!" I said, laughing.

I heard a tap on the window. I glanced up to see the bronze beach boy grinning at me. I quickly rolled down the window.

"I saw you looking at me," he said, winking. "Wanna join me in the water?"

"Uh, no, sorry I'm busy eating." I shoved the last of the donut in my mouth, some of it smearing on my face. The guy looked disgusted.

"Uh, okay," he left.

We burst out laughing all over again.

"Ah..." I said, licking the glaze of my cheek when I was done laughing. Hannah continued to watch the blonde guy teach Natalie to windsurf and bronze-y chatting and also watching Natalie with great interest.

"Player," Hannah mumbled to herself.

After while, the guys packed up and left. The blonde guy handed Natalie a piece of paper and ran off to join the rest of his friends in a large van. Natalie came up to the window.

"What's your boyfriend's name, Nat?" Hannah teased.

She blushed slightly. "He's nice. He gave me his phone number," she held it put as proof. "His name is Josh." She got in the front seat, started the car, and began driving back home.

"Nice flirting," I said, grinning at Natalie. She rolled her hazel eyes and glanced down at the number.

"Are you going to call him?" asked Hannah.

"Maybe," she shrugged. "I dunno,"

When we got back home, a dozen donuts and one phone number later, the sun was almost set and for some reason I was extremely tired.

"Hey, Imma go to bed, kay?" I said, yawning.

"You sure you don't want dinner?" asked Hannah.

"Nah," I kicked the pink box, which was sitting by the recycling. "I already ate."

They laughed and went into the kitchen, where I could smell something like roast beef cooking. It _did _smell good, but I was super tired. Maybe all the laughing wore me out. I hadn't laughed like that in...

Forever.

--

My eyes fluttered open.

I groaned, rolled over in bed, annoying with waking up so early (I knew it was before six because it was still dark) and glanced at the alarm clock. It blinked 4:17 in neon green digits that made me have to squint.

I role over again, looking at the faint glowing reflection that the alarm clock cast. It hovered over me like a comforting cloud, and I found myself drifting back to sleep.

A slam made me jolt right back out of the drifting state.

I sat up in bed, my mind stiff foggy with sleep. I dragged myself out of the sheets to go check out the noise. It sounded like it was coming from the window; Loud enough for me to hear, but soft enough for no one else in the house to hear.

I peered outside, and saw a rusty car with damaged head lights and dented sides pulling back from a large wooden piece of board. It looked like a door held up by two pieces of stick. It had a huge dent in it, almost splitting it in half.

I heard hollering and whooping, and I saw guys, older than me by about five years, sitting in the car, screaming and laughing hysterically. Two more guys held up the door from behind and I realized what was going on: They where ramming into the door with the car.

"The hell?" I rubbed my eyes and watched the fiasco. It was not going to end good...

A scream, revving of an engine, a loud bang and more fits of laughter.

"Are they drunk?" I muttered to myself. I heard shuffling from the other room and hushed voices. Finally my door opened and I saw Judi, Robert, Natalie and Hannah standing there, all in their pajamas.

I blinked out sleep form my eyes to focus more. "Some idiots are doing...well, I dunno what they are doing, but something dumb involving a car, a door and waking me up," I grumbled. "It's four in the morning, seriously."

Judi looked stern as she marched over toward the widow. "Humph! What are those drunken cows doing?" She seethed, grabbed the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Yes, some hooligans are ramming a car into some sort of bored, waking everyone up with their hollering...Mmm-hmm...Yes...well, I cant tell from—no, no we aren't."

I peered outside again, watching as other lights turned on and other, unfamiliar faces filled windows as they watched with wide, curious eyes.

Judi hung up the phone and sighed. "The police are taking care of it. Everyone back to bed."

No one moved.

Judi smiled. "I knew you'd all want to watch," she laughed. "I'll make the hot chocolate," she left us to stare at the drunks. Who knew it would be so amusing?

Judi came back just in time to e eth cops push the guys to the ground and arrest them.

"So entertaining," she teased, setting the steaming drinks in front of us.

We sipped our coco, watching the guys get arrest and the police talking on their radios. It made me realize that insane things happened in real life everyday. I loved it.

The coco disappeared, the commotion disappeared, and the family disappeared into their own rooms. It went as quickly as it came, and thinking about it, it felt weird, unreal.

I wondered if life was always like this.

I lay in bed, but I couldn't sleep. I was already up, might as well eat something (By now I was comfortable in the house as to get things myself) so I got up and wandered into the kitchen, picking out a piece of bread and making a piece of buttered toast.

It was very delicious.

--

"Mmm," I mumbled to myself as I listened in on the gossip the family shared at the official breakfast. Judi informed them proudly that the guys were in jail and no one was hurt. I asked if this kind of thing happened often, and they said no.

"You got here just in time for the fun!" Natalie laughed. I smiled, but I didn't agree. The crazy asses reminded me of—

"Who wants more eggs?" I asked hastily, holding up the plate in a jerky manner. The family looked at me strangely, and they all declined. I sighed nervously and set the plate down, not wanting to meet anyone in the eyes. I was too embarrassed. Figures.

The family continued to chat idly while I just pushed my eggs around on my plate, too full from my toast to eat.

_One week, _I said with a sigh to my brain. One week until my mom's funeral. Wh-hoo. I couldn't wait to see how no one would show up.

How's _that_ for child loyalty?

* * *

**hahahaha i felt like adding sum dumbasses. u like? tell me so!  
**


	21. Zombie eeshas take over

**ok, im not even going to think about how long its been since ive been on here.**

**please dont think ive abandoned this story. (smiles meekly)**

**im not giving up.**

**only two chapters to go**

**until**

**the**

**end**

**o.O**

* * *

Hannah and Natalie had to go back to school, sadly, the next day.

"Come to our school with us!" Natalie cried, grabbing her backpack off the stairs.

"Oh, thats a great idea! You're going to be going there anyway, so come check it out!" Hannah agreed.

I blinked. No way.

"Er... i think I'll just..."

It was too late. They dragged me out to the car and forced me into the backseat.

"You'll love it," Natalie promised. "Everyone's so nice."

Ugh. How did i manage to get myself in situations such as this one?

We pulled up to a large, white building that read "Michael Way High" in golden letters. It was huge, spotless and very intimidating. I shrunk back in Natalie's dirty backseat.

"C'mon, Hexy!" Natalie grinned, opening the door. and unbuckling my seat belt. I didnt budge.

Hannah sighed. "Its like we're parents of a kindergardener." she rolled her eyes and glanced at me. "Hexxeeeeee" she cooed.

I didnt fall for it.

Natalie sighed this time. "C'mon, Alex. Pleease? You'll like it."

"Fine." i got out of the car stiffly. Immidiatly, people stopped and stared. I felt myself blushing and i glanced at Hannah for support, but she was already halfway toward the entrance with Natalie.

"Wait!" i ran, following them inside.

--

"Is she from that camp?" asked the chubby secretary behind the protective wall that was the office counter. I scowled.

"Yeah. Shes going to be a new student here, as soon as.... as soon as we get things squared way." Hannah hedged cautiously.

I sighed gratefully.

The lady grunted, shuffled some papers around and handed me a sticker that said 'visitor'. I blinked at it, watching her sign some more papers from the corner of my eye.

"You put it on your shirt," she acted like she was talking to a Kindergardener. God, how old did these poeple think i was? five?

"I know." i peeled off the back and pressed it firmly to the top of my sweater.

"Well... i get her first." Natalie tugged on my arm.

Hannah giggled. "Now we're _divorced_ parents of a kindergardener."

I refused to input on this convversation.

Natalie dragged me out of the office, waving goodbye to Hannah as she went the other way, toward her first class. "We're going to Language Arts," she todl me proudly.

I just nodded. She pulled me into a brightly lit room with colorful posters explaining what "semicolons (;)" and "homophones (too;two;to)" were. I rolled my eyes.

"Mrs. Nestor, this is Alex Barlow. Shes new here."

The teacher, Mrs. Nestor, looked me over weith her dark eyes. She was thin and short with cropped, dark hair and a friendly expression. "Hello, Alex, I've heard some nice things about you."

I gulped. Uh oh.

Natalie giggled nervously. "Well, uh Alex, let's sit down." She dragged me to a deserted area of the class room and forced me to sit. i tried to avoid the sharp gazes of several judging students.

"Well, welcome Alex. Today we're going to..." her voice faded as my attention darted to other things. _Why does thjat chick keep staring at me? _I ducked wearily out of the sight of an african american girl with a pink jacket and dark colored jeans on. She narrowed her eyes; her gaze didnt break. _'Everyone's really nice.' Yeah, right. That explains why everyone is glaring at me like im... like im a delenquent!_

_Oh._

_Right._

I studied the posters to keep myself from puking.

When i got bored of that, i decided to tune back in to Mrs. Nestor's lecture.

"As you can tell from this piece of writing, homophones have been ignored..."

Boring.

I glanced at Natalie. She was taking notes, but stopped when i looekd over at her. She grinned at me encourigingly then continued to write. I sighed inaudiably.

Suddenly, the muffled humming of Mrs. Nestor's speech halted and everyone shifted in their seats to look at me. I tuned back in and looked questionably at the teacher.

"I...im sorry... what?"

Snickers.

Mrs. Nestor sighed. "Do you know any past tense homophones?"

I blinked. "Er... im really sorry... but--"

"Its okay." Mrs. Nestor's gaze softened and she continued to explain. No one turned back to face her. They just stared at me. Amused, Disgutsted, Confused. A sea of expressions. I tried to calm the gnawing in my stomach.

After about a million years, the class was over. I got up gratefully and followed Natalie outsidee the classroom, where she started laughing.

"God, Alex, that was great!" she sniggered into her palm.

I hestitated. "Uh..."

"Here, lets go find Hannah." she walked toward another hallway and i followed.

"Hey, Natalie, whos this?"

Natalie and I whippeed around to see about five girls in a semi-circle, all looking generally, the same: pinkish, girly shirts, skinny-as-hell jeans, black eyes (or wait...is that eyeliner?) and sneering expressions.

Natalie didnt seem bothered. "Oh, hey, this is Alex." she gestured toward me. "Alex, this is Janisha, Kadisha, Tireesha, Kyleesha, and Namisha."

Wow. even their names are the same. I tried to hide my distaste for the conformisim and smile. "Hey."

The leader (i forgot her name) stepped forward. "Hello, Skallix."

I furrowed my brow. Natalie sighed. The other girls tittered.

"Oh im sorry," she said with mock concern. "Its Alex." She put her fingers to her mouth and widened her eyes.

Uh...

"Well, we gotta go." Natalie dragged me, again, down the hall and into another classroom, where Hannah was waiting.

"Health," She explained as Natalie left.

"Oh." i sat down in a chair.

Like last time, the class took forever. The same stuff happened: I blushed as everyone stared. I was introduced to Miss. Simmons. I sat down. I zoned out. I almost died of boredom.

La di da.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I stared that the ceiling, trying to go to bed, sweating enough moisture to take a bath in. Tomorrow is the funeral, and i didn't even want to think about it. I just wanted to fast forward through the whole day, like that man did on that movie Natalie, Hannah and I watched a few hours earlier. The Click or something like that. Anyways... point being i could care less about my mother an her damn small funeral.

I sighed, picturing Camp Green Lake in my mind. I missed it there. i wanted to call them, but then i remembered that camps in the middle of the desert didnt have phones. Pity. I rolled on my side and stared at the heat vent. It seemed to be mocking me.

"What are you staring at?" I muttered. "You're just a stupid heat vent. You have no life."

Silence.

"I have a boyfriend and you don't. Pfffft."

More silence.

"Holy crap. I'm talking to a vent."

it reminded me of talking to the tarantula, Squid teasing me. i wondered what'd he do if he was here now. I grimaced, not wanting to depress myself. I glanced at the clock, wondering how many more hours until the black event. 12:06. Only twelve hours and fifty-four minutes to go....

it would be a long night.

* * *

**im os osrry about not being on. you cant even imagine.**

**please forgive me and comment :-)  
**


	22. Angel cake delivered by Angels

* * *

I didn't want to move.

Well, actually, I _couldn't _move. I was frozen solid.

I was glaring at a clean-haired, frilly-dressed, spotless-skinned sneering girl. I hated her glossy lips, her intricately woven curls and her itchy black dress. How did I know her dress was itchy? Well, because i was wearing the same one. Yeah, the girl was me. I was staring in Natalie's huge closet mirror, horrified at what i saw.

"Almost ready, Alex?" Natalie called. I could see her in the mirror as well; she was tying her shoe.

"Um...yeah I guess." I answered wearily.

"I hope D-Tent shows," She chirped.

I grimaced. I had managed to press that thought out of my mind for a whole five minutes, and here was stupid Natalie to ruin it for me. "They won't."

"They might."

"And they might not."

Natalie glared at me. "Don't burst my bubble, Alex," she growled. "I really want to meet them. Especially Zigzag."

I chuckled darkly. "Don't count on it."

"You never know." Natalie got up and stood beside me.

"Yes I do. I know they won't." I turned away form the mirror and looked down at my embarrassing get-up. How stupid to dress nicely for a person you hated.

"How do you know? I mean, now that they're out of the camp, they could show."

I whipped around to face her. "_What?_"

"I said, they could show."

I shook my head. "No, no, the other thing."

"Now that they're out of the camp...?" she stared hesitantly.

I nearly screamed. "What? They got out?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah. Judi did some snooping online, and as it turns out, they're released. Ciao Camp Green Lake for them. Didn't I tell you this?"

I blinked. "No..." I was annoyed now.

"Oh...sorry."

I sighed, trying to push away the hope that was bubbling from inside of me. They wouldn't show. There was no hope.

Still, I could barely wait to get there.

Just in case.

xxxxxx

**oo what will happen?**

xxxxxx

i tugged nervously at the hem of my black dress and ignored the droning of the preacher, instead scanning around the room. Only few people had showed: Judi, Robert, Natalie, Hannah, some old ladies and a couple of old dudes I vaguely recognized. Probably my mom's old boyfriends. The grand total of faces was a whopping twenty one people. Such a social butterfly, mommy dearest.

I smirked and sank down in my chair, keeping one eye on the preacher and one eye on the wooden double doors, in case some unexpected guests might show...

I'd told myself that they would come, but you never know...

"And now, Shelly's daughter, Alex, would like to speak."

I looked up, feeling dead inside. This was the moment I'd been dreading. Speaking.

I slowly got up and made my to the stand, not feeling the least bit nervous. What was there to fear from some old ladies and male prostitutes?

"Well, my mom was a decent lady." Lie.

"And she took great care of me." Another lie.

"I loved her very much" Haha!

"I'm sorry she died." Nice touch. A little reverse psychology, eh?

I smiled weakly and got off the stage. The ladies smiled at me warmly and the guys just rolled their eyes, shoving their faces with Angel cake and juice. I had a feeling they were just here for the food.

I watched my feet, trying to ignore disappointment as the preacher continued. I knew they wouldn't show, so why was I sad? I was aware of a short pause in the preacher's speech, as if he was waiting for something. Then, he continued. I bit my lip, feeling sorry for myself. I wouldn't see them again, ever. I had their numbers, sure, but did that really count? Was it still the same?

"Sorry we're late."

I turned swiftly around to see seven familiar faces smiling at me. I blinked, trying not to scream.

"You made it!" I hissed happily.

"Yeah." X-Ray laughed. "We got directions."

I glanced around, and i realized the funeral was over moving swiftly to the reception, which meant more Angel cake for my mother's loyal boyfriends. How lucky for them.

I got up and turned to D-Tent fully, taking them all in. Zigzag's hair was flat and gelled back, but i had a feeling it was jut for the funeral. I hope, anyway. I liked his hair crazy. Armpit was smiling toughly as he scanned the room uncomfortably. I giggled and continued my evaluation. X-Ray was still smirking like the playboy he was. It made me want to hug him. Stanley and Zero were grinning at me. They looked unchanged, as did Twitch. He was still fidgeting. Magnet was licking his finger, for God knows why. i thin khe had just finished eating a cookie.

Then, i realized Squid wasn't there. I felt my heart sink, but I kept my mouth shut.

"OH MY GOD! D-TENT!" Natalie shrieked. "I TOLD YOU ALEX! I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU!"

I spun around to see Natalie with stars in her eyes. "Ha! Introduce me! Wait... lemme guess who's who."

I barely opened my mouth to reply before she was in front of them. "Okay... let's see here."

"Um...this is Natalie. My...sister?"

They looked from Natalie, to me, to Natalie again.

"Been awhile since i see na girl..." X-Ray murmured, in awe.

I cleared my throat.

"Sorry, Hex. But you don't count." Magnet laughed.

I rolled my eyes as Natalie began her guessing game.

"Okay... you," she pointed to Zigzag "must be Stanley."

Everyone laughed.

"And..." she turned to Zero. "You must be X-ray, cause you're small."

The real X-Ray scoffed; Natalie ignored him.

"And..." she sniffed. "You must be Armpit." she looked at Magnet.

"Hey! Are you calling me gross?" He accused.

Natalie just grinned in reply and turned to Stanley. "...Zero? I dunno."

Stanley just smiled.

Then, Natalie's brows knit. "Is Squid here?"

I stiffened and the boys shifted uncomfortably.

"No." Answered Armpit softly.

"Oh..." was all Natalie said.

I smiled wanly before introducing her to the boys' real names.

"Oh!" She smiled when I did. "So you're Zigzag!" She grinned up at him. "You don't have crazy hair, so I wasn't sure."

He laughed, and they got to talking. Stanley walked up to me and smiled sheepishly. Zero followed.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"I'm sorry about Squid."

Normally, this comment would have made me sad, but coming from Stanley made me feel better. "S'Okay."

"Alex!" I looked over when my name was called, and i saw Natalie, frantically waving me over. I furrowed my brow and weaved my way through people to go meet her. Stanley nad Zero followed loyally.

I introduced her to them, and then asked what was so important.

Suddenly everything went black; two big, warm hands covered my eyes from behind.

"Guess who." whispered a voice from behind.

I nearly screaming and pulled away to see Squid, grinning at me in the most flashiest tux in the world. I gaped at how amazing he looked.

"I..." I stammered. "I'm glad you made it..."

He scanned me over with his eyes, smiling widely. "I'm glad I did, too."

I blushed.

"You looked pretty."

"So do you"

He laughed, and the rest of the evening fell into place _very _nicely. Much nicer than I had ever imagined.

* * *

**Hey, thanks to Mignun for grammar criticism. I'm much more aware of those annoying mistakes. :-) **

**PS...**

**ONE**

**MORE**

**CHAPTER!**

**:D :D :D :DDDDDDDDDD  
**


	23. Confessions of a teenage hole digger

**Okay, listen up.**

**This is an epilouge.**

**so it's short.**

**but, alas, it is the end (tear)**

**enjoy...**

**(crosses fingers)**

**...I hope.**

* * *

Mrs. Simmons' room appeared to be dead-quiet as people read from text books, but in the _very_ back, near the health posters, there was a very intricate web of communication occurring via folded notebook paper.

I had a conversation going between Hannah, Stanley (who'd been going out for quite a bit) and me, and one also between Squid and me, and Zigzag, X-Ray and I were also discussing random things—all while appearing to be working.

A folded note hit my elbow and I glanced over to see Squid's handwriting. I smiled as I read it over.

_I think Jacob O'Connell likes you. He's staring at you I'm gunna have to beat him up after school. _

I glanced up at Jacob, who snapped his head to stare at the board as soon as I looked at him. I giggled and wrote back: _Nah, he's staring at X-Ray. I think he's gay._

I tossed the note to him, making sure Mrs. Simmons wasn't looking. He read it and cracked it, passing it to X-Ray.

X-Ray Ray scoffed quietly, scribbled something down and passed it to me. _I'M NOT GAY!_

I rolled my eyes. _Not you. I meant Jacob, chicken-shit. _"Chicken-shit" was a term I learned from Natalie and was my new catch phrase—at least until I found something funnier to say, but I doubted it. Chicken-shit was a hard act to follow.

X-Ray read the note and sighed, scribbling something else down.

It continued like this until Mrs. Simmons caught on and we actually had to do the work. Personally, digging holes was a little better. At least you could talk, and you didn't feel the urge to get up and shatter the pestering silence.

Finally, when the bell rang, we rose and grabbed our things, heading for our next class, where I got to see Zero and Armpit, and then afterwards, in gym, I got to see Twitch and Magnet. Another reason I like holes better was because I got to see all my friends _at the same time_.

Squid followed me faithfully to Mrs. Colleen's room (third period social studies). "How's this school thing going for you so far?"

I shrugged. "It's been a couple of weeks, so im used to it. But in some ways... I like digging better."

He laughed. "Me too."

We stopped in front of Mrs. Colleen's door, stalling before we departed. I took his face in one last time before I turned and left him.

"See you in dumb-class."

I laughed. "Okay."

"Dumb-class" was the only class we all had—it was for stupid or mental people ("Academically and behavioral challenged courses," insisted Mr. Bryer, our teacher for the class, which was fifth period). Or it was for people who had spent the last few months in an education-free camp and had no clue how to do crap; we all fit the criteria.

I pushed through the heavy door and took my usual seat at the back of the room with Zero, Armpit and Hannah. I smiled when I saw them chatting excitedly before the bell rang again. I was so happy that Hannah and Natalie had made friends with all of the guys (and boyfriends, in Stanley's and Zigzag's case)

"Hey!" I greeted as I sat down beside them.

"'Sup Hex."

"Hi, Hex!"

"Hi, Alex."

I was sucked into the conversation effortlessly and we talked about nothing until Mrs. Colleen started the class by passing out History text books. We all groaned in unison.

That classed slowly, and when the hour was finally over, I leapt out of my seat and hurried toward the gym, eager to see the rest of my best friends.

xxxxxxxxxxx

I grinned widely when it was time for dumb class. I pushed through the door and greeted everyone loudly. The room was pure white and isolated fro the rest of the school, tucked into a lonely hallway that seemed forgotten. No one wanted to be around freaks. But I didn't mind, because I didn't want to be around everyone else. I liked being alone with D-Tent.

My seat was just below the heating duct. When the room was silent, you could here it jangle and groan. But the room was never silent (Mr. Bryer was cool like that.) so it pretty much was ignored. I plunked down beside Squid and smiled at him cheerfully.

"What are we learning in dumb class today, Mr. B?" called Twitch.

"You are not dumb," Mr. Bryer's response was more than predictable; it was practically what he was programmed to say. "And we are discussing vowels today."

Not dumb, you say? We learned vowels in Kindergarten!

Well... I guess with a classroom full of delinquents, you might expect we skipped class or dealt drugs in Kindergarten—or something like that—and didn't have time to learn about trivial things, such as vowels. But, you know, still stereotypical...though possibly true.

So we learned about vowels. Well, I didn't. But maybe the others did. I doubted it though; we mainly giggled and talked the whole time. Mr. Bryer didn't notice. He was too busy explaining how every word has a vowel and that y was special ("Like all of you!") and stupid stuff like that. Blah blah blah.

Squid leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Bryer is gay."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't you know Squid?" I grinned at him. "Everyone is gay!"

He laughed. "True. Like Jacob. And X."

X-Ray heard that; he slapped him from behind.

I laughed and shook my head. "Freaks."

Squid sighed. "We are freaks. Gay freaks."

"Hallelujah. Amen."

We both bowed our head in mock seriousness. Mr. Bryer flashed us a smile, thinking we were actually bent over _doing our work._ Oh, silly Bryer. What a riot you are.

"You know, I'm really glad i went to the camp." Squid whispered suddenly

I giggled and looked up. "Why?"

He blinked at me, serious. "Well, i always thought my life would be terrible, but since i met..." He trailed off. "I'm just glad i went. I met some amazing people."

I blinked at him. This was very...straightforward. Random. Nice. I smiled at him.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I'm happy I did too."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I sat back in my seat, ten minutes before class was over, and D-Tent would be separated. I wasn't worried though, because I knew one thing, the truest thing in the whole, entire world—at least to me.

D-Tent was one of the most inseparable things, no matter what happened _ever_. Because when you go through shit together, you become bound. Bound through the mind and souls, even if you're far apart. Doesn't matter who it's with; you share something invisible. I _knew_ this. I knew that we'd always be connected, even when we got out of here. Out of dumb class, out of this school, off to collage. I'd always be Hex. They'd always be Squid, Zigzag, Stanley, Zero, Magnet, Armpit, Twitch and X-Ray—my best fiends.

And it would stay that way.

* * *

**holy crap.**

**I'm finished.**

**holy holy crap**

**(blinks in surprise)**

**...  
**

**ok, so i really just wanna thank all you guys who reviewed. Il ove you verrrry much (gives the respectable audiance a squeeze)**

**I'm sorry its short**

**and uh, if you don't like it....well um i can rewrite it. it was just stressing me out, cuz i wanted a good ending, but it's more of the epilogue, so it has a license to be short. so haha.**

**oh, i know it's not realistic for them to all magically be at the same school, but tis my fan fiction. so pfffffft to you. :-)**

**oh. and i know Twitch probably wouldn't be in the dumb class cuz he was only there for a few weeks, but it wouldn't be the same without him, so i couldn't help it.**

**but, aside from that...**

**I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (cheers)**

**sequel? maybe? if you want and if have time. :-D**


	24. AUTHORS NOTE

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

**Desperate Sequel is out to all who care **

**called Same as Never**

**two chapters already! :D  
**


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